RGS’ Colleen Goh wins 2 age-group national titles

BADMINTON

Schools’ Individual Badminton Championships Finals
Wednesday, 21 March 2007 at Toa Payoh Sports Hall

Score update and pictures by Leslie Tan. © Red Sports/soulbreath pictures

I was down at Toa Payoh Hall for the Schools’ Individuals Badminton Championships, also known as the Pilot Pen Cup this year (hey winners, did you all get pilot pens?) and one of the happiest players at the end of the day has to be Colleen Goh because she won both the U-18 singles title as well as the U-18 doubles title.

RGS’ Colleen Goh in action.

In the U-18 singles final, Colleen came up against Singapore Sports School’s Thng Ting Ting. Ting Ting blazed past Colleen to win the first set, 11-6 but impatience on her part saw Ting Ting lose the next two sets 2-11, 3-11. Colleen who is in her second year at Raffles Junior College, told me she trained under the legendary Wong Shoon Keat when she was in Primary 2 before she was referred to the junior national team in Primary 3. In Secondary 3, she won her first major title, the national open title.

"After I lost the first set, it felt a little pressurising," said Colleen as I sat talking to her in the upper gallery at Toa Payoh Sports Hall. "The turning point was in the second set when I won a few points in a row. That gave me back my confidence."

Throughout the second and third set, I could hear Ting Ting’s coach telling her, "Be patient, be patient." After the game, Ting Ting admitted as much to me. "I won the first set because I was patient but I became impatient in the second and third set. I always try to end the rally as quickly as possible." Ting Ting also graciously added, "Colleen has the edge in experience. She knows what to do and knows how to stay focused."

Thng Ting Ting lets out a celebratory yell after winning a point against her opponent.

An hour later, both girls were back on court for the U-18 doubles finals. Ting Ting was paired up with her Sports School team mate, Mok Jing Qiong, while Colleen paired up with Siti Mastura.

Siti Mastura of RJC in action during the U-18 doubles final.

In a repeat of the singles game, Ting Ting and Jing Qiong won the first set 15-12 although it became apparent towards the end of the first set that the RJC pair of Colleen and Siti would come back strongly in the second set. In a telling period of play in the first set, Jing Qiong and Ting Ting struggled to wrap up the first set when they were leading 14-8. For the longest time, they just could not get that winning point. Siti and Colleen inched their way back up to 12-14 before Ting Ting and Jing Qiong finished off the set 15-12 in their favour.

In the second and third set, a few disputed line calls left Ting Ting especially flustered. On top of that, the Sports School pair also had to contend with the superior height of their opponents, which made their smashes all the more potent. Colleen and Siti stamped their authority on the game and eventually won the second and third set 15-6, 15-5.