Story By REDintern Amir Yusof. Pictures by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.
Sonia (RP WA) throwing a pass as the SP GA tries to block. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Republic Polytechnic Sports Complex, Wednesday, January 12, 2011– Republic Polytechnic (RP) defeated Singapore Polytechnic (SP) 52-46 in what proved to be a tightly contested affair in their opening Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Netball Championship Group B match.
Despite enjoying home advantage, RP had to work tirelessly to ensure victory, mainly due to their opponents’ resilience and determination after a relatively slow start.
The home side dominated the first quarter, thanks to good interplay between the Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Shooter (GS). Their swift movements managed to draw many contact and obstruction fouls from the SP defensive players, enabling RP to enjoy a respectable lead in the first quarter.
However, the subsequent quarter was different story as SP displayed fight and character to narrow the difference in the scoreline. RP’s previously fluent passing was no longer prevalent and their attacking players were less clinical. On the other hand, SP converted their chances thanks to their composed GS and went into the half time interval knowing that the game was not lost yet.
After a high tempo first half, the pace of the game slowed in the third quarter. Chances were far and few between initially. Thereafter, RP stamped their authority and showed sufficient resolve to end the quarter with an 8-point lead. SP were visibly tired and despite shouts of encouragement from the SP bench, the team struggled to cope with waves and waves of RP attacks orchestrated by their Centre (C).
In the final quarter, RP scored 3 early points without reply. However, SP gave it their all in the closing stages and despite their valiant efforts, they could not overhaul the points deficit, leaving RP to seal their opening game 52-46.
Captain of the RP team, Lau Mei Shi lauded the team’s performance and urged them to concentrate on the two remaining group fixtures against perennial powerhouses Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS).
SP’s coach Annie Lim blamed a lack of communication and poor passing for her team’s loss and is hoping for better performances in their upcoming games.
2011 IVP Netball Fixtures & Results
Sonia (RP WA) signals to her teammate Jocelyn Ng to pass. (Photo 2 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Jocelyn Ng (RP) tries to block the SP WD. (Photo 3 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Jocelyn Ng (RP) catches a long pass. (Photo 4 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Players chase after the ball. (Photo 5 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
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