Ivan Ng (#11) swings for the ball. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Kallang Diamond, Thursday, December 18, 2014 — Singapore just missed out on qualifying for the 2015 World Championship in Canada when they lost 2–5 to Philippines in a playoff for third place in the Asian Softball Championship Qualifier.
The win meant that Philippines will now face Indonesia on Saturday with the winner going on to meet Japan in the final.
Singapore got Qualifier campaign off to a winning start with an 8–1 victory over Brunei earlier in the week. The team put up a tough fight against Philippines in the second match but went down 3–8.
Singapore took on Pakistan the next day and recorded an 8–0 win. However, the team went down 0–7 to Indonesia later in the afternoon.
Singapore lost their final preliminary round match 0–9 against top-ranked and unbeaten Japan. Japan went on to beat Indonesia 4–0 in the playoff between first and second.
“We knew that Japan were the top contenders of this competition, hence we went into the game feeling light-hearted,” said Ivan Ng (#11), captain of the Singapore men’s softball team.
Said vice-captain Marcus Lew (#13): “We started our season well, a win is still a win. However, our match with Philippines during the preliminary round did leave us with regrets. We were up 3–1 at one point and the game could have been ours.”
Singapore has one of the youngest teams in the tournament. “Our youngest player is about 15 or 16 years old, while the oldest is 38. I would say that the average age for our team would be 22 years old,” said Ivan.
“Though younger players might lack confidence, we believe that they will be able to gain the experience and exposure over time. These young players are vibrant and full of energy,” added Ivan.
When asked what lay ahead for the national team, Ivan commented: “We are looking forward to the Merlion Cup in April next year, where we will be up against stronger opponents like Australia. Taking part in this competition will get us prepped for the upcoming SEA Games which we are working towards.”
Team Singapore Roster
Roger Lau, Wong Teck Piaw, Chua Hui Fu, Marcus Lew, Ivan Ng, Benjamin Oh, Kuang Hao, Jeron Tan, Alvin Tan, Niels Aplin, Bayden Wang, Chew Jee Boon, Jerel Tan, Yi Rui Tan, Gerann Ngiam
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