RGS overpower CHIJ(TP) 29-24 in B Division South Zone netball final

Story by REDintern Kenneth Tan. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Yishun Sports Hall, Tuesday, 9 March, 2010 - Netball powerhouse CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) failed to retain their zonal title after succumbing to a 24-29 defeat to Raffles Girls' School in the South Zone B Division Netball Championship final. CHIJ had previously won four out of the last six B Division National Championships.

A sloppy start to the first quarter was the start of the downfall for CHIJ(TP) as RGS managed to open up a massive 11-3 lead after starting off with a 6-0 scoring spree within five minutes of the start.

Although CHIJ managed to score three goals in quick succession, RGS managed to score another five of their own towards the end of the quarter.

Good passing and movement from the RGS players in particular made it hard for the CHIJ players, as they appeared to be second best to every loose ball.

CHIJ turned in a better performance in the second quarter by showing better character and constantly pressuring RGS to lose the ball. Their efforts paid off as they managed to outscore RGS by two goals in the quarter to narrow the score gap to trail by five at 10-16.

Unfortunately, they could not sustain their efforts in the third quarter as they fell 17-24 behind. RGS opened up a 11-point lead at 23-12 within six minutes, which was the largest lead they had in the game. CHIJ earned temporary reprieve by scoring five goals in reply to reduce the deficit to 17-23.

Dawne (GS) from RGS was particularly impressive in this quarter with her clinical shooting as she managed to score seven goals, leaving CHIJ with a mountain to climb for the final quarter.

A finely balanced final quarter saw both teams scoring five goals each to shape the final score of 29-24, which saw RGS clinching this year's B Division South Zone netball title.

When posed with the question of which quarter was the most crucial for her team's victory, RGS teacher-in-charge Nora Kamsir replied, "Every quarter was crucial. Coach Chng Li Li had asked the players to treat the start of every quarter as 0-0 so as to prevent them from being complacent. We had to prepare them physically and mentally for this match as CHIJ are traditionally the powerhouses."

When asked whether the impressive start to the game (the first quarter) had a psychological advantage on her team, she replied, "Definitely. I had told the players that we must get ahead in the first quarter. If we fall behind, it will be hard to come back, especially with CHIJ being such a strong team."

"We mainly trained up the team's stamina and strength. If our passes are not strong in the game, we will struggle throughout," said Ms Kamsir on the team’s preparation. "We made the players carry weights and make 2.4km runs in trainings. Also after every game, the team will still run three rounds around the court."

"This (victory) is not the end for these players. We had asked them to aim for the Nationals which is coming up later," she added.

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