By Dara Tan (27A01A) and Sean Loh (27S06I)
Photographs courtesy of Tay Kai-En, Othniel (27S03Q) from RAPS
This year, both the boys and the girls of the RI badminton team arrived at the OCBC Arena Badminton Courts to battle it out for 3rd place.
For the girls, it was a strong comeback after they failed to reach the Top 4 last year. For the boys, it was not the ideal placement they had hoped for. Yet, both were aiming for the same outcome.
The Boys’ Match
Game 1: First Singles
Kaiser Lim Kai Shing (27S03Q) was the one to kick off the match. In the first set, despite his initial stumble at a score of 1-3, Kaiser was able to swiftly recover with his strategic drop shots and precise smashes, leading to a dominant win of 21-10.
Kaiser performing a smash
In the second set, although Kaiser won the first half with a score of 11-8, ACSI adapted quickly and gradually gained the upper hand, eventually closing out the set with a score of 15-21.
Despite the loss, Kaiser was determined to win the first game and secure RI’s foothold in reaching the podium.
Sure enough, he prevailed, ending the third set with a final and domineering score of 21-12. RI had successfully won Game 1.
Game 2: First Doubles
The second game of the series was the first doubles match. Raphael Chong Zhi Kang (27A01E) & Timothy Khoo Huan Sheng (27S06P) would be the ones to continue the streak that Kaiser had started.
In the first set, ACSI was consistent and attacked relentlessly, pushing the score to 11-19, eventually winning the set with a score of 15-21.
The second set was the perfect moment for the duo to shine. Despite the initial score of 11-15, the duo made a comeback and tied it up at 18-18. They pushed on and won the set with a score of 21-19.
Raphael (left) and Timothy (right) in the middle of a rally
In the third set, the RI duo successfully won the first half with a close score of 11-10. ACSI played their cards exceptionally well, bringing the score to 11-17.
Raphael and Timothy were not ready to give up just yet and drove on to a score of 16-20. Though the pair gave it their all, in the end, ACSI got the point they needed to finish off the last set with a final score of 16-21.
Game 3: Second Singles
The race to the podium continued. Representing RI in the second singles and possibly bringing the school one step closer to victory would be Caleb Wang Yi Tao (27S02B).
In the first set, ACSI gained the lead and brought the score to 0-2. Caleb, however, put up a tough fight, and quickly tied up the score to 2-2.
ACSI kept up their dominance and played their defence extremely well, leading to their victory in the first half with a score of 4-11, and later won the set with a score of 9-21.
Caleb was determined to win it in the second set. Despite his best efforts, ACSI managed to win the first half with a score of 1-11.
ACSI continued seizing opportunities and smashing accurately, with Caleb trying his best to return their attacks.
In the end, ACSI won the second half and the game with a final score of 9-21.
Game 4: Second Doubles
It was now up to our second doubles players, Sheldric Lim (26S03K) & Davin Chng (26S03I) (Vice-Captain), to start the comeback that would win it all for RI.
The first set started with an aggressive rally, with ACSI eventually finding an opening and winning the first point.
ACSI continued pushing the score to 0-4. Sheldric and Davin persevered and managed to tie the score at 8-8.
Eventually, ACSI won the first half with a score of 10-11, and later led the score at 12-17. Sheldric and Davin caught their footing and later brought the score to 17-19.
Sheldric preparing to receive a serve
The score was now 19-20. After an intense rally, the RI duo was able to end it with a strong smash, bringing the score to 20-20. A series of nerve-wracking rallies ensued, and RI made the legendary comeback to close out the deuce with a score of 24-22.
In the second set, ACSI fought strongly and won the first half with a score of 8-11, before eventually winning the set with a score of 14-21.
The third set had to be won to force a final decider match. Sheldric and Davin were prepared not to disappoint.
The duo started strongly with a score of 2-0. With each of his cheers after each point scored, Sheldric’s immense passion for the sport reverberated through the court.
Sheldric and Davin’s spirits overpowered their opponents, and they won the first half with a score of 11-5.
Davin cheering after winning a point
ACSI closed the gap and tied it at 15-15, 17-17, 18-18 and 19-19.
Sheldric and Davin covered each other spectacularly, with each of them attacking with their own set of smashes, and won the set with a final score of 21-19.
Game 5: Third Singles
Clayton, the Captain of the team, would be the one to play the decider match, and he would be the one to bring it all home.
Despite being on the losing end with an initial score of 7-11, Clayton quickly recovered and tied the game at a score of 12-12.
Clayton had it all. He knew exactly when to attack and defend, and eventually, he won the first set with a final score of 21-15.
In the second set, Clayton was unstoppable. He resumed his defensive game by predicting and blocking nearly every one of ACSI’s smashes.
Ultimately, through sheer strategy and skill, Clayton brought home the 3rd place position with a commanding score of 21-10, etching RI’s name in yet another podium finish.
The Girls’ Match
The girls team after their win.
Game 1: First Singles
The first game was between Chloe Wan (26S05A) and RVHS.
The match was harrowingly close, with fast-paced strikes and decisive rallies in the first half of the first game. Every point that Chloe scored seemed to be countered with another, and there did not seem to be a clear lead or victory.
Nonetheless, Chloe managed to break the initial stalemate in the first set to win a decisive 21–13.
Despite a brief catch up from RVHS in the second set, Chloe’s aggressive smashes secured another 21–13 victory in the second set, winning the match for RI.
Game 2: First Doubles
In the first set, RI took an early 11-5 lead and maintained their composure to win 21-14. The second set saw RI recover from an early deficit by scoring six consecutive points to lead 8-3. They maintained their momentum throughout, eventually securing a 21-10 victory after a missed serve by RVHS.
The RI doubles duo dominated the match against RVHS, winning 2-0.
Game 3: Second Singles
Following the momentum from RI’s two wins, the next game began, played by Ang Zi Ting (27S03H).
After winning the first set comfortably at 21-13, Zi Ting faced a tougher second set where RVHS capitalised on an early lead to win 21-16.
Zi Ting preparing to receive the shuttlecock
In the deciding third set, both players battled through exhaustion in a tense war of attrition. Zi Ting maintained a slim lead throughout the final half, ultimately winning 21-18, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
Game 4: Second Doubles
The fourth match was played by Gemma Tan (27S03F) and Wang Jiayuan (27S06R).
In the first set, the teams remained neck-and-neck until the very end. After RVHS reached 11 points first and later held a 17-20 lead, RI fought back to force a deuce, eventually forcing their opponents into a 27-25 loss.
The second set followed a similar pattern; with RI overcoming an early 5-1 deficit to lead 11-10 at the interval. Despite the scores being tied as late as 15-15, Gemma and Jiayuan maintained their composure to eke out a 21-18 win.
RI won 2-0.
Game 5: Third Singles
The first set commenced, and both Pamela Chia (26S06Q) and her opponent were fired up and raring to go.
In the first set, Pamela stayed calm and collected, building an early 11-5 lead, and finishing the set at 21-11. The second set mirrored the first, with Pamela again leading 11-5 mid-set. Despite a late surge from RVHS that narrowed the gap to 20-18, Pamela held her nerve to score the final point and won 21-18.
This secured a 2-0 for the final set and finalised RI’s victory at an overwhelming 5-0.
Expectations
For the boys, their 1st place position, or at least 2nd, was anticipated. The team knew and always had what it took to be NSG champions, but they unfortunately fell short this year after losing their semi-finals match against NYJC.
As it turns out, Clayton, the Captain of the boys’ team, was injured and was exempted from playing during the match against NYJC. Coach Ronald (Singles) said that the boys were playing under pressure without a proper leader to guide them through the semi-finals, which impacted the morale of the team and eventually resulted in the loss.
Clayton pointed out that the loss was unprecedented. After all, RI won against NYJC in the Group Stage with a score of 5-0, and the boys were confident that they would win the semi-finals and head to the finals easily.
After the loss, the boys were devastated and disappointed.
“A lot of them cannot accept that they lost to NYJC…Some cried and the mood was low, but I kept encouraging the boys to move on as what is done is already done”
– Coach Ronald
Through mutual encouragement and accepting that they should look ahead and focus on the team’s future, they managed to step into the match against ACSI strongly after they “came to their senses”, Coach Ronald said.
Raphael (left) and Timothy (right) cheering after they had scored a point
Regarding the matchup against ACSI, the boys were prepared. Clayton acknowledged that ACSI has been RI’s long-time rival for NSG, and every game against them was extremely close (RI lost 3-2 the last time they played against ACSI). He felt that the outcome of the game would be dependent on the lineup and the performance of the players, but he was confident that RI would win against ACSI to claim the 3rd place.
Coach Ronald shared similar sentiments. He believed he knew the team’s lineups and strategies well and trusted that if they played at their normal standard with fighting spirit, they could win.
For the girls, concluding the NSG season with a 3rd place position was a rebound after not qualifying for the Top 4 last year.
This year, the team was aiming for 1st. Chloe, the Captain of the girls’ team, believes that the past does not affect the present, and the team has the potential to become champions.
“We had more fighting spirit, and we wanted to win as there was more hunger to retrieve our title”
– Chloe
For Coach Xiqing (for Doubles), her goal was to reach the podium as she knew the team was strong enough. She felt that since they did not qualify for the Top 4 previously, they were considered underdogs with nothing to lose, which did put additional pressure on the coaches as they were now training a much more vigorous and determined girls’ team.
Coach Xiqing had full trust in the team when it came to battling against RVHS. RI had won the quarter-finals against RVHS with a score of 5-0, and Coach Xiqing was confident that the team could replicate the performance that won them the match.
She was also glad that the girls put up a good fight despite their expected results, showing respect for the opposing team and demonstrating strong sportsmanship.
Chloe also expected a win against RVHS. However, extra training was still conducted as the team could not be overconfident. “We couldn’t be complacent because we never know what’s unique about the game,” Chloe added.
Both Chloe and Coach Xiqing attributed the podium finish in part to the new set of teachers-in-charge of the CCA. The teachers focused on working in tandem amongst teammates, and to train with a positive and right attitude.
They also introduced a new norm, which was frequent friendly matches with other schools, so that the team was aware of the standards they should be upholding. Coach Xiqing mentioned they “high standards are still expected, but friendlies help expose players to a new standard and different environment.”
Beyond the Medal
Coach Ronald’s main aim going into the NSG season was not for the team to win, but rather for them to put in their best effort and for the boys to be satisfied during their time in RI by “graduating with good memories and with the best results they can achieve”.
Coach Ronald also mentioned that he had coached some of the Year 6 players since they were in Year 1, and has watched them grow tremendously into the respectable players they are today.
Coach Xiqing, on the other hand, wishes for the girls to be more bonded and united in the years to come, and to put the team’s collective needs before themselves. Most importantly, she wants the girls to enjoy playing the sport.
As for Clayton, he has understood that teamwork and effective communication are crucial when it comes to leading a team and attaining success. Knowing when to be firm and have fun as a leader is also important, he mentioned, as it helps to form deep bonds within the team.
Some advice he would give his juniors is to appreciate the time spent with the team, especially during the NSG season.
“Sometimes, too much focus is on defeating rivals, but these are actual memories…As a J2, it is sad that I can no longer compete, and it is when rivals become friends.”
– Clayton
For Chloe, winning was not her main objective. What mattered more was the connection she built with her team, which ensured that the team enjoyed playing during the NSG season, rather than playing just for the medal.
This was reflected during training sessions nearing the match against RVHS, where an emphasis was placed on bonding and understanding one another, instead of simply winning or losing.
“The focus on bonding was to enjoy the last match of the season rather than entirely just to win.”
– Chloe
The End
While a 3rd place finish for both teams may not have been what they expected, the CCA has definitely learnt and understood the importance of looking forward and cherishing what matters most.
As long as the CCA continues pressing on, embracing challenges, accepting mistakes and forging stronger bonds amongst teammates, it will only be a matter of time before our boys and girls reclaim their crowns.
Lineup
Boys
First Singles: Kaiser Lim Kai Shing (27S03Q)
First Doubles: Raphael Chong Zhi Kang (27A01E) & Timothy Khoo Huan Sheng (27S06P)
Second Singles: Caleb Wang Yi Tao (27S02B)
Second Doubles: Sheldric Lim (26S03K) & Davin Chng (26S03I) (Vice-Captain)
Third Singles: Clayton Hi Shao Cong (26S06S) (Captain)
Girls
First Singles: Chloe Wan Jean Suen (26S05A) (Captain)
First Doubles: Fong Qin Mun (27S06N) & Aurelie Tan Min Tjun (26S03B)
Second Singles: Ang Zi Ting (27S03H)
Second Doubles: Gemma Tan Yan An (27S03F) & Wang Jiayuan (27S06R)
Third Singles: Pamela Chia Yi Ling (26S06Q)
