By Qiu Bixin (25A01A) and Sophie Chong (25A01A)
The bus ride was silent. As the rain pattered softly against the windows, the bus was cast in darkness – a solemn reminder of the stakes at play. This wasn’t the typical chatter-filled journey for the Boys’ and Girls’ Table Tennis teams.
Instead, the final game loomed large before them and the pressure was palpable. Despite both making it to NSG finals year after year, double championships, gold for both the Boys’ and Girls’ Team, had remained out of reach for half a decade. This year, they sought to break that cycle.
Yet amidst the silence, an underlying sense of quiet confidence was present. But it was still too early to celebrate. Their pathway to victory would require simultaneous wins for the Girls’ and Boys’ Teams – the former facing Eunoia JC, while the latter was matched up against their long-standing rival, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).
Both the Boys’ and Girls’ matches would involve two doubles and three singles matches consecutively. Each individual match is then further broken down into 5 sets, with victory reached at 11 points – the first player to win 3 sets claims the match.
Girls’ Team
The Girls’ match-up had been an unexpected pairing — instead of their usual rivals, HCI, the team found themselves against the team they had already won against in the Quarter-Finals. In spite of this supposed advantage, no player entered the court with premature expectations. As Ho Ee Shann (24S03N), captain of the Girls’ Team, explained, “I think we went in with the same mindset. We just wanted to try our best and give it our all, since it was our final game together as a division.”
”Even though the opponents were unexpected, we worked even harder to ensure that the outcome would not be unexpected.”
Lynel Chiang (24S03M), vice-captain of the Girls’ Team
Kickstarting the Girls’ finals was a Singles match by Lim Qi (24S03G). The match was a close battle, boiling down to the final game as scores tied at 2-2. As her final game began, each rally brought the ball closer to determining the team’s fate. Even if it was just the first match, it threatened to set the tone for the rest of the day. Thankfully, her match closed with a victory in the fifth set, after a score of 11-6.
Next came the first Doubles match of Ho Ee Shann (24S03N) and Tricia Ong Zi Qing (24S03L). The pair started on rough footing, losing two games in a row. As they entered the third game, the stakes were high: another loss would spell the outcome of the whole match.
But even under the mounting pressure, the pair remained determined. Every play was a well-rehearsed dance between the two players — as one shifted to the left, the other would instinctively move to fill her gap. The third game would serve as the game’s turning point, securing a win with an 11-5 point margin. With their first victory secured, the two athletes rode their wave of success to win the subsequent two games and claim the match as a whole.
Two wins were now under the team’s belt. The third match could, thus, decide it all.
Returning to Singles matches, the team’s representative was Chan Lu Wen (24S07B). Every swing of her table tennis racket swung the team closer to its fate. By the third game, with scores at 2-1, the result seemed obvious. The fourth game began with the swift domination of Lu Wen, reaching the game point at 10-2. As the ball hung in the air, awaiting the final play, her team stood behind her, clinging to the blue Nittaku dividers that stood between them and the game. The ball bounced off the table and their victory had been determined.
The blue dividers found themselves flung onto the floor as the team pushed themselves forward, celebrating with the player that had brought them their victory. Amidst the fanfare and cheers, both sides were careful to maintain sportsmanship, offering one another handshakes and congratulations.
Despite their guaranteed win, the remaining two matches were still to be played. Even without the pressure of victory on their shoulders, the subsequent matches still revealed the players’ hard work and efforts.
The second doubles match was played by the team’s sole Year 5 representatives, Joni Ng (25A01A) and Pey Kee Yen (25S06E). Despite their age, the duo’s coordination was unmatched, betraying the years of matches they had played as partners. Their teamwork would result in a decisive win, easily claiming the match with a score of 3-0.
The final Girls’ match of the day, thus, began, with Lynel Chiang (24S03M) taking her place on the court. Even with the team’s victory in the bag, her eyes remained glued to the ball in hand and her hands gripped around her paddle. This would be her last game on the team, and she sought to cherish it. Brimming with confidence, the match would similarly end early as the final scores reached 3-1.
Boys’ Team
As for the Boys’ team, they were up against their age-old rival, HCI, once more this year. Having lost to HCI last year, the boys were more than prepared to take that first-place title away from them.
“We used that loss last year as a form of motivation to try hard, train hard, and above all, fight hard. Even in the finals, we played our best, and made sure we [left] nothing behind.”
Jevyn Teo, vice-captain of the Boys’ Table Tennis team
Not even falling sick could dampen their determination one bit. Although a few players were down with a fever and had not been able to train for a week before the semi-finals, the team persevered through the semi-final matches, securing a win against River Valley High School to advance to the finals.
“After last year’s loss, they were a lot more motivated this year, so even through their illness, they really focused a lot more [during training],” Mr Tay Jit Kiat, the Boys’ team’s coach, revealed. Some of these players were even sick on the day of the finals, but the entire team pulled up to the game ready to give their all to their matches.
The Boys’ team’s game began quietly, in the background of the Girls’ one, as most of the RI supporters were fixated on the ongoing match on the Girls’ side. Nevertheless, those who came down to support the Boys’ team cheered loudly for them.
Wong Yi Cheng Jaevier (25A01C) kicked off the game for RI, playing the first singles match. Both players on the court bent down into their ready positions, table tennis ball in hand. Then the whistle blew, and the ball was in the air.
The match started quite evenly matched, as the score climbed to 2-2. But with a flick of a wrist, Jaevier pulled ahead to eight points before his opponent could continue gaining points. Three points and a few rallies later, the set was his.
With a set behind him, Jaevier began his next set confidently with five points to him. He continued to lead the scores throughout the next two sets, keeping his composure the few times his opponent caught up with him. Unsurprisingly, he won both sets, and clinched an overall victory for his match.
Ethan Ng Wen Kai (25S03R) and Nicholas Lim Jun Jie (24S07C) were up next for the first doubles match of the day. The first two sets can be summarised like this—the HCI players would score, and then Ethan and Nicholas would fight to match their opponents’ score. But they never managed to overtake their opponents, and so, HCI claimed the first two sets at 11-8 and 11-7 respectively.
The third set was the RI pair’s last shot at winning this match. If they lost this set, the match would belong to HCI.
After adjusting their strategies during the break between sets, Ethan and Nicholas stepped onto the court, determined to take this set home. They started strong, immediately gaining five continuous points for RI. Although their opponents tried their best to close the gap, the impeccable teamwork they showed made it difficult for the HCI pair to even tie with them. It wasn’t long before Ethan and Nicholas got their first taste of sweet victory (of this match, at least), winning the set 11-9.
However, this victory was merely the start of a difficult journey for the RI pair—to win this match, they had to win the last two sets as well. Could the boys keep their momentum going to win this doubles match?
Alas, the fourth set didn’t go well for Ethan and Nicholas. Initially, they managed to keep up with their opponents, reaching a 5-5 tie. But then, the HCI players suddenly shot ahead, gaining six points successively to win the set. Even Ethan and Nicholas’ best defences couldn’t stop the HCI players’ fast-paced attacks.
And so we entered the third match—the second singles—with a tie of 1-1 overall. Up next was Xu Bing Xian (24A01B), who kept a consistent lead over his opponent throughout the first set. Victory for Bing Xian was within sight as RI led HCI 9-5, but six points straight from HCI allowed his opponent to take over the lead and clinch the first set.
The second set started with a bang for RI as Bing Xian gained eight points in a row. Victory for him came soon after, despite his opponent’s best efforts to keep up with him, the set wrapping up at 11-5. While Bing Xian couldn’t recreate an 8-0 lead over his opponent in the third set, he continued to lead the scores throughout, and it similarly ended with 11-5 in RI’s favour.
More was at stake for the HCI player in the fourth set—if he lost this set, the match would go to RI. He was noticeably tense as the set began, and his plays more aggressive. But that didn’t faze Bing Xian as he kept cool and steadily racked up points. Eventually, he won the set with a score of, again, 11-5.
Representing RI for the second doubles were Jong Yik Kang (24S05B) and Ryan Ong Swee Siang (25S03B). The first match was neck-and-neck—the team in the lead changed frequently, and neither pair could put a significant gap between their and their opponent’s scores. However, HCI emerged victorious in this fight, winning the set with a lead of two points.
Spurred on by their win, the HCI pair opened the next set by immediately gaining nine points back-to-back. Although the nine-point lead meant that it was nearly impossible for Yik Kang and Ryan to win, they still fought valiantly to the end, never giving up. But, it wasn’t long before HCI claimed another set.
Yik Kang and Ryan knew that this couldn’t go on—if they didn’t win the third set, they would lose this match. Although things weren’t looking too optimistic for them with two losses behind their backs, they were still prepared to put up a good fight against their opponents. And that, they did, amidst resounding cheers of “All the way!” and “Fight back!”.
Although HCI’s score chased closely after ours in the next set, the boys managed to keep a, albeit small, lead over their opponents throughout the set. After a hard-fought and well-played set, Yik Kang and Ryan’s first win of this match came at 11-8.
Renewed and reinvigorated after that win, the two of them were readier than ever to face the HCI boys in the next two sets. But the fourth set didn’t kick off to a good start for them, trailing behind HCI 5-0. The RI boys fought hard to gain points and stop their opponents’ flow, but things didn’t go to plan as HCI won the set 11-4.
At this point, the two schools were tied 2-2 overall. The last singles match would decide who was going home triumphantly, as the champions, and who could only bring back the second-place medals. The singles player representing RI for the last match of the day was Ryan Emmanuel Yeo (25S03R), a national team member. In a strategic move by the team, they kept their best player for the last, just in case the last match was a tiebreaker, which ended up happening.
While the second doubles match was going on, Ryan could already be seen pacing around behind RI’s side of the court. “Hall of Fame” was blasting on loop through his headphones, psyching him up for a nerve-wracking match looming ahead. For him, the hardest part of the match was “trying to get over [his] nerves”, sharing, “I was very stressed. I wanted the doubles to win, but it came down to me.” But still, he tried to keep himself calm by “[imagining] what would happen if [he] won, with everyone celebrating.”
At this point, the Girls’ game had already ended, so the entire crowd of RI supporters’ attention was now zeroed in on Ryan’s match. Many of them stood up in tense anticipation of what was undoubtedly going to be a thrilling match.
The air in the arena was still with suspense. Then, the shrill “Beep!” of the whistle cut through the quiet like a sharp knife.
Ryan managed to keep the lead throughout the first set, but his opponent was never far behind. Whenever he widened the gap in the scores, the HCI player would catch up to almost a tie immediately by gaining points consecutively. Nevertheless, Ryan reached the match point first at 10-7, and victory for the first set was so close you could almost taste it. But the supporters looked on apprehensively as his opponent gained a point, and then another, until they were one point away from a deuce.
Much to the RI spectators’ relief, Ryan halted the HCI player’s accumulation of points, and claimed the set with a powerful return.
During the minute-long break after the first set, the tension between the two schools culminated in a mini cheer-off. Shouts from the cheers “Take Them On” and “Samba” bounced off the four walls of the arena as the RI spectators screamed their hearts out for Ryan. Everyone was hoping that he could replicate his win from the previous set two more times.
The next set kicked off with a thrilling rally between the two players. The RI supporters watched with bated breath as Ryan returned three difficultly placed balls, without any break in between. The sight was almost comical, the way their cheers got progressively louder with Ryan’s every save, before the RI crowd roared when a smash from Ryan earned him the point.
The rest of the set was smooth sailing for him, and his opponent wasn’t able to secure any more points after his fifth one. Before long, victory came for Ryan as he won his second set 11-5.
Everyone knew of the stakes behind this next set—if Ryan won that, this match, and, more importantly, this game, would go to RI. This was something all the RI supporters were desperately hoping for. As for Ryan, he shared, “It [felt] more calming [after winning the first two sets]. […] But I was mentally prepared that [my opponent] might make a comeback.” And so he steeled himself for a tough fight before him.
The RI spectators’ hearts were already in their mouths as soon as the third set began. Ryan already faced an uphill battle for his first point, as his opponent sent five high balls to him in quick succession. As Ryan saved those shots one after another, his rhythm built up to a climax as he scored the first point of the set.
This thrilling play was recreated not long after in his fight for his match point. The RI supporters were buzzing with exhilaration as they witnessed him save shot after shot the HCI player sent his way. Their tightly coiled bodies finally relaxed when Ryan ended the long rally by winning the point, once again, and they burst into hollers of support for him.
But the RI crowd couldn’t stay relaxed for long, because while Ryan was at match point, previous matches were a grim reminder that his opponent suddenly could make a comeback. Nothing was set in stone as long as he hadn’t gotten his 11th point yet.
And for a minute, it seemed like their worst-case scenario was coming true. They could only watch helplessly on the sidelines as the HCI player scored his sixth and seventh points, while Ryan was still stuck at his match point. At some point during this set, the RI spectators’ cheers evolved to include his name, and shouts of “Let’s go, Ryan, let’s go!” reverberated through the arena between points. These shouts only grew louder and louder when the supporters felt victory slipping away from their fingertips, so close, yet so far.
The crowd cheering for Ryan.
(After his match, Ryan revealed with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, “[Hearing everyone cheer for me] felt great! I think when there’s more people watching me play, I play better.”)
Everyone’s hearts were in their throats as the next rally started, and the air was thick with suspense. All eyes were glued onto that tiny little table tennis ball, almost glaring holes into it as it flew between both sides of the table. The only sound you could hear was the sound of the ball hitting the table—no one dared to even breathe.
Then, tak! The ball made contact with the table again. Silence for a split second as the HCI player fumbled to reach the ball.
Applause and screams of pure joy erupted from the RI supporters and the Boys’ team pushed out from behind the barriers to engulf Ryan in a group hug.
RI had won the Boys’ Table Tennis NSG Finals. We had reclaimed gold.
Gameplay of the point that made the Boys’ team champions.
Conclusion
The teams were all smiles and laughter as they walked around the arena after the prize ceremony, receiving congratulations and taking pictures with friends who came to support them. Although their road to victory was tough, and filled with surprises, it had nonetheless been a rewarding experience for all of them.
The RI supporters and the Table Tennis team members cheering “Unite” together after the game.
For the Girls’ team, their landslide victory against EJC was nothing short of stunning, and something they were all very proud of. As for the Boys’ team, after losing against HCI last year, being able to win back the title of champions made all their hard work and effort worthwhile. A quote made by Ryan (Yeo) himself quite aptly summed up the Boys’ team’s journey.
“First you lose, then you learn, and then you win!”
Ryan Emmanuel Yeo
For the Year 6s, this was their last game before stepping down, and they ended it with a bang. But to them, the CCA wasn’t simply about the wins and the losses. It was also about the unforgettable bonds and lasting memories they make with one another, things people outside the CCA couldn’t see.
As for the Year 5s, they have the year ahead to look forward to. To them, this game’s win was just a start, and they had many more memories left to make as a team.
None of them knew what lay ahead. But they knew that they could rely on one another to tide through whatever challenges they might face.
Girls’ Table Tennis Team
Lim Qi (24S03G)
Ho Ee Shann (24S03N) — Captain
Tricia Ong Zi Qing (24S03L)
Chan Lu Wen (24S07B)
Joni Ng (25A01A)
Pey Kee Yen (25S06E)
Lynel Chiang (24S03M) — Vice-captain
Boys’ Table Tennis Team
Wong Yi Cheng Jaevier (25A01C)
Ethan Ng Wen Kai (25S03R)
Nicholas Lim Jun Jie (24S07C)
Xu Bing Xian (24A01B)
Jong Yik Kang (24S05B) — Captain
Ryan Ong Swee Siang (25S03B)
Ryan Emmanuel Yeo (25S03R)
Jevyn Teo (24S03D) — Vice-captain
