Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Louisa Goh/Red Sports
Edwin Lim reaches out for the shot in the second doubles match. Peck Ern Wei and Edwin sealed ACS(I)’s victory by winning 2-0 (21-19, 24-22) against RI. (Photo 1 © Louisa Goh/Red Sports)
Bedok Sports Hall, Tuesday, May 21, 2014 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) [ACS(I)] defended their National A Division Badminton Championship title with a 3–1 win over Raffles Institution (RI).
It was a tight match between both teams all the way, one which saw RI save five championship points before ACS(I) finally clinched it on the sixth try. This is the second straight title for ACS(I).
RI took the first win, as Nigel Siew (RI) beat Akihiro Tan (ACS(I)) 2–0 in the first singles match. Nigel controlled the game from the start, placing his smashes in spots where Akihiro could not reach. There were a lot of errors on Akihiro’s part, which cost him a lot of points. This allowed Nigel to take the first set 21–12. Akihiro came out more composed in the second set, taking an early lead. Despite being down, Nigel never wavered and continue to play his steady and aggressive game. This allowed Nigel to storm back and eventually claim the second set 21–14, putting RI up 1–0 in the match.
Alistaire Chua and Sng Ming Wei of ACS(I) defeated Li Zheng Xi and Qi Xueqian of RI 2–0 in the first doubles match. Zheng Xi and Xueqian looked dominant early on, taking an early 6–0 lead. But Alistaire and Ming Wei managed to regroup and tie the game at 14-all. They were really impressive on defence, returning a lot of RI smashes that seemed like winners. Their persistence paid off, as they took the first set 21–18. In the second set, the duo again pulled off a comeback. They erased a three-point deficit against RI before eventually clinching the set 21–16. This evened things up at 1-all in the overall score.
The second singles saw Dominic Soh (ACS(I)) beat Daryl Ng (RI) 2–0. Dominic controlled the pace of the game in the first set, hitting a variety of shots to force Daryl all over the court. This strategy allowed Dominic to convincingly win the first set 21–9. Daryl eventually caught on to Dominic’s tactics in the second set, which made for a closer affair. Dominic slowly extended the lead through his conservative play, not going for high-risk shots at all. This proved to be fruitful as he managed to take the second set 21–17, putting ACS(I) up 2–1 overall.
Edwin Lim and Peck Ern Wei of ACS(I) took on RI’s Jackie Tan and Donovan Mui in the second doubles match, with the championship on the line. The first set was a tense affair, as the lead exchanged hands multiple times. ACS(I) had the upper hand at 20–18. RI were able to save the first set point, but eventually conceded the set 21–19. The second set was even closer, as both duos seemed to realised what was at stake. This made for a very exciting set, as the largest margin between both teams was no larger than three points. Jackie and Donovan showed real grit in this set, saving five championship points at the end of the set. However, ACS(I) managed to clinch the decisive point on the sixth try, winning the set 24–22. This also gave them a 3–1 overall win, handing the title to ACS(I).
ACS(I) captain, Alistaire Chua, said, “It was a team effort that enabled us to win. We were the underdogs coming into the match as RI had relatively stronger players than us. But we fought hard together and played as a team. This win is for our school and for our coaches. I want to thank my coaches and team mates for everything they have done for the team in this win.”
RI captain, Muhammad Imran, said, “Our guys played well today, but we tend to lose focus during crucial points. Nevertheless, I am proud of them for giving their all even though we lost.”
In the 3rd/4th playoff, Anderson Junior College defeated Anglo-Chinese Junior College 3–2 to clinch third place.
A Division Boys Final Results
1st Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
2nd Raffles Institution
3rd Anderson Junior College
4th Anglo-Chinese Junior College
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