By Isaac Tay (25S06L) and Qiu Bixin (25A01A)
All images courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society.
Picture this: The boys’ Badminton team huddled in a circle, tense whispers exchanged back and forth. Intuitively, you think that they were giving each other pep talks before the game started. But no, that wasn’t what they were doing—they were actually finalising the lineup that would be competing against their longtime rival, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACSI), just half an hour before the finals began.
Turns out, this was because almost half of the team was injured, and they had to decide the lineup based on these players’ conditions on the day itself. However, the team wasn’t just faced with this one challenge in their fight to the finals this year.
Introducing to you, obstacle number two: the smaller-than-usual size of their team. While a badminton team usually has 10-12 players, RI’s boys’ Badminton team only had nine players this year—greatly limiting the number of strategies the team and their coach could experiment with before the game.
Perhaps all too soon, the clock struck 1.00pm, and the first singles match was due to start. The whistle blew. The reverberating chatter in the OCBC Arena quietened. The two athletes got into position.
Parco Sebastian Johann Magboo (25S06S) served as an introduction to the might of the RI Badminton team. He was the forerunner of the army and he was here to defend RI’s position as NSG champions.
The first set was an intense battle, as both players went neck and neck with each other. 10-10, 11-10, 12-11, 13-13 and it seemed like no headway was being made on either side. Then, Parco suddenly won a streak of points, gaining the upper hand at 19-16. He eventually closed the set with an admirable score of 21-17.
Parco capitalised on his first victory by gaining a sizable lead in the second set. By now, the game had seemingly turned into an elaborate dance, with the rhythmic step, step, step as Parco lined himself up for the shot, followed by the swish of the racket.
Then came a millisecond of silence before the unmistakable smash of the shuttlecock. The opponent was caught in a trance, unable to do anything as Parco led 11-0 by the mid-game break.
It was as though Parco was the main character in this story. He might as well have told his opponent, “This is my court now, this is my dance, and you are playing my game.”
Parco continued to extend his lead in the second half, but the other team did not lose hope. The ACSI supporters shouted, “11 more!” to urge their player on, just as he scored his fourth point at 15-4. The opponent’s resolve was respectable, but it wasn’t enough. Parco set his foot down in the second set, placing RI in the lead with the first match.
Where the first match was like a dynamic dance, the second was like a symphony of shotmaking. The doubles match led by Pratyush Madhaik (24S02B) and Badminton Vice-Captain Shearwin Tang Kit Weng (24S03C) was fast-paced, with lots of dramatic dives, and the shuttlecock was tossed around so quickly you could barely see it.
Although Pratyush and Shearwin were initially trailing behind for the first set at 6-11, their resolve remained steadfast and they persevered. That unfortunately wasn’t enough for them to overcome the opponent’s lead, and they lost the first set at 21-11.
As Pratyush and Shearwin headed into the second set, the leg brace on Shearwin’s leg served as a solemn reminder about the challenges and hardships the RI team faced in their journey up to that day.
Furthermore, this lineup was only finalised right before the game started. Both members unfortunately weren’t certain beforehand that they would be partnered together. Nevertheless, their synergy during their match made that tough to tell.
But how did they manage to build up that synergy so quickly? Fellow teammate Tan Ray Kai commented, “(Pratyush and Shearwin) just had to make use of training time and the few games before this to build chemistry. […] We trust that the two of them could communicate well enough to overcome whatever lack in chemistry there was.”
Just like that, Pratyush and Shearwin pressed on in the second set. They played well, but ultimately, there can only be one winner in a battle. ACSI took the second set with a score of 21-10 and claimed their first match, putting RI and ACSI at 1 win each.
The next match was the second singles, and the RI team’s player, Ding Hanjin (25A01C), exuded confidence. Before his match began, the National Team player could be seen with his headphones on, and the look on his face showed that he was zoned in. Then, the signal was given for both players to step onto the court. Hanjin prowled around the area, like a panther on a hunt.
Hanjin immediately dominated the start of the first set, gaining a steady lead of 7-2. And Hanjin made sure his opponent knew that he was leading the game, punctuating every point with a cry of victory.
Hanjin continued his streak after leading 11-6, as he pounced around the court winning point after point after point. 14-8, 17-8, 18-9… Finally, Hanjin went in for the kill at 21-11 to claim the first set.
By the second set, it was clear that Hanjin’s aura of confidence was slowly getting to his opponent. After all, how could you keep calm when the person on the other side of the net seemed so sure of himself? What else could you do when the shuttlecock falls on your court, except brace yourself and anticipate the war cry your opponent makes every single time?
Hanjin took the lead once again for the first half of the second set, leading with a score of 11-5. By then, it was too late for his opponent. Hanjin had already gotten into his opponent’s mind, causing him to miss his shots and further lose his confidence.
By the time the dust settled, only one person prevailed. It was Hanjin, who dominated the second set with a score of 21-8 and secured another win for RI.
And so we enter the fourth game—the second doubles game—with a lead of two to one. Representing RI were Hans Yeow Meng Choon (25S03K) and Badminton Captain Jorelle Yak Han Rui (24S06C), who kicked the match off with a point to RI.
But their opponents immediately gained two points on them, and the RI boys worked hard to stop them from getting another, throwing themselves across the court to defend three consecutive smashes from their opponents. Alas, while they saved the first two impressively, the third time wasn’t quite the charm for them, and the ACSI players won their third point.
As the match went on, both sides continued to execute fantastic plays that threw each other off, and neither team could gain a significant lead.
In the blink of an eye, RI was one point away from match point—our victory for the first set was within reach. But, when cheers erupted a few points later, it wasn’t from the side of RI’s supporters.
The set ended with RI’s loss at 19-21, but RI supporters’ hopes were not dashed. This close difference in points meant that we could still the next two sets, allowing us to secure RI’s place as champions before all the matches were played.
Reinvigorated, and determined to show their support to Hans and Jorelle, the RI supporters’ cheers entering the second set were louder than ever.
The second set was just as action-packed as the first, each rally a flurry of smashes and saves from both teams as the players jumped high and far to send the shuttlecock over. They were so evenly matched that nobody could tell who would emerge victorious in this set—they kept all the spectators at the edge of their seats.
However, RI still could not clinch the second set, losing to ACSI with a close margin of 21-18. All eyes turned to the final singles match, which would decide who could go home triumphantly with the first-place trophy.
The pressure was on for Axel Toh Song Ean (24S07A), who represented RI in the final singles match. He had hoped that Hans and Jorelle would win their match, thereby ensuring RI’s place as champions, letting him play his game stress-free. But that wasn’t the case, and the weight of the Badminton boys team’s fate fell onto his shoulders instead.
To add to his stress, Axel was stepping onto the court with only a few weeks of NSG training under his belt. An injury to his knee four months before the finals meant that he had to reduce the intensity of his training during the crucial lead-up to the NSG season. A further injury to his ankle two months later meant that he couldn’t even train for a month and a half leading up to the finals.
It didn’t help that Axel was facing ACSI’s best singles player for this match—the stakes were high, but his chances of winning seemed to be slim.
To manage such stress, “I told myself that I should give my best since it was my last year after, including [RI Y1-4] days, six years [in the Badminton CCA], playing in NSG every year”, Axel recounted. It was only right that he ended things off with a bang.
And that was exactly what he planned to do.
In hindsight, the fight for the first point pretty much foreshadowed how thrilling the final match would be. The long rally between the two players for this point was marked with brilliant attacks and defences from both players, but the point eventually went to ACSI.
However, Axel quickly caught up with his opponent, and arrived at the mid-game break with a lead of 11-8. Axel continued his momentum in the second half of the set, slowly widening the gap between his and his opponent’s scores.
Sitting in the crowd, you could hear the RI supporters’ cheers get gradually louder and feel some of the tension lifting as Axel scored point after point. Before long, the set came to a close with 21 to RI and 11 to ACSI.
Much to their delight, Axel kept that rhythm going in the second set, continuously racking up points to gain a lead of 17-12 over ACSI.
At this point, the RI supporters could almost taste their victory—just a few more points and they could get there! But when Axel was one point away from match point, his opponent suddenly found his footing and gained six points in a row to win the set.
A wave of disappointment washed over the RI supporters as the joy of victory slipped away from their grasp. Becoming champions was a goal that seemed so close, yet so far—all that was blocking them from winning was the final set. 21 points. The pressure was on for both sides to play their absolute best for themselves, their teams, and their schools.
The tension between the RI and ACSI supporters culminated in a resounding cheer-off, as the RI supporters shouted their hearts out through cheers like “Dynamite” and “Take Them On” to show their support for Axel.
The whistle for the last set blew as the final clap of “Let’s Go Raffles” echoed throughout the arena. And then, dead silence.
The shuttlecock was in the air.
The arena was still while the points were in play—only sounds of the players’ shoes and the shuttlecock could be heard. All the spectators were laser-focused on the shuttlecock flying between the two sides of the court. Only when one side won the point, did the supporters of that school eruptederupt into cheers for their player. And then, it’s back to silence.
Axel started strong, maintaining a steady lead over the ACSI player throughout the entire match. He was on a roll—his opponent couldn’t stop him from gaining point after another despite his best efforts, and Axel pushed ahead confidently towards the game’s decisive match point with a lead of 20-6. In a last-ditch attempt to prevent Axel from winning, his opponent switched to more aggressive plays, which earned ACSI a point.
But Axel didn’t let him bask in the delight of defending match point for long—a smash to the back corner of the ACSI player’s court ended the set, match and game, bringing home the championship trophy for RI.
A racket-drop from Axel (think mic-drop, but with a racket) to celebrate his win. A standing ovation from the crowd of RI supporters. And that’s how the RI badminton boys’ team won the NSG finals for the third year in a row.
Conclusion
The team’s journey to this year’s victory was not easy, but they were able to emerge at the top because they overcame all the challenges they faced together, as a team.
The team captain, Jorelle Yak, is thankful to have his teammates “to pull through together and pull [their] own weight”. “Communication [was] really key to our success throughout the NSG season”, he commented, as the team had to decide who had to play despite their injuries and who could rest.
For Axel, support from his teammates and coaches throughout his injuries was really helpful.
“They’ve been encouraging me from the start. […] Every day, they ask me when I’ll be back, they check up on me.”
Axel Toh (24S07A)
Extending their champions’ streak for a third year meant a lot for the team. Not only did it prove to everyone the team’s skill, but it also reassured the team that all the hardship they went through this NSG season was all worth it.
For the Year 6s, this was the triumphant conclusion of their badminton journey. After six years, playing in their respective secondary schools’ badminton teams and then for RI, they could finally call it a good day. With this year’s trophy in hand, the Year 5s were more than ready to face whatever storms next year’s NSG season would blow their way, because they knew they had each other’s backs.
But first, of course, came celebrating this year’s win. And how were they planning on doing that? By going to a teammate’s house, playing their hearts out, and throwing their teacher into the pool.
Boys’ Badminton Team
Jorelle Yak Han Rui (24S06C) — Captain
Shearwin Tang Kit Weng (24S03C) — Vice-Captain
Jonah Lee Yong Jian (24S03D)
Pratyush Madhaik (24S02B)
Axel Toh Song Ean (24S07A)
Ding Hanjin (25A01C)
Tan Ray Kai (25A01D)
Hans Yeow Meng Choon (25S03K)
Parco Sebastian Johann Magboo (25S06S)
