Underdogs Xinmin go down fighting against SCGS in girls' badminton final
“Believe, believe, just one point,” said Anne Wong’s coach from the sidelines as she readied herself for set point.
Battling her nerves, the 14-year-old floated a winner to her opponent’s right, won the second set, and kept Xinmin Secondary’s slim hopes of capturing the girls' B Division North Zone badminton title alive.
Alas, despite Anne’s and her teammates' tenacity and fight, it was not to be. She lost her nail-biting match to Tricia Hu from Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS) 22-10, 19-21, 21-17.
It was the third match of the final and the one which clinched the North Zone title for SCGS at Canberra Secondary School on Tuesday (April 26), wrapping up a stellar season where they won every game in their seven matches since the group stage.
“But my girls can keep their heads high,” said Xinmin coach Hor Chai Hian.
“We gave (SCGS) a really good fight. The second and third matches were very close. And that’s all we expected from ourselves – just to give our best and give them a fight.”
Expectations going into the final weren't lofty for Xinmin, whose last appearance in the North Zone final was a decade ago in 2012.
They were up against an SCGS team who were well-drilled and eager to make up for their disappointment last year, when they finished runners-up.
“They were more experienced than us,” said Coach Hor. “They have been in strong badminton schools since primary level. For us, we’re like a rojak team – every year we pick from here, pick from there.
“We’ve never even played in a tournament against other schools before this year – because of Covid the last two years.
“So, we can actually be proud of our showing today.”
After her match, Anne admitted to being nervous throughout her match.
“A lack of experience played a part,” she said. “We knew (SCGS) were really good. But I tried my best, we all did. This was a real eye-opener for us.”
SCGS got off to a good start when Isabelle Koh beat Xinmin's Jacintha Toh 21-11, 21-18 in the opening match.
The next match was a tougher one, with doubles pair Avril and Cheng Sher-Mae recording a topsy-turvy 21-12, 20-22, 24-22 victory over Yolanda Thio and Phaedra Chong.
In the deciding match, Tricia found herself 8-1 down before clawing her way back to win 22-10. After losing the second set, she kept her cool to win the third game 21-17 and seal the title.
SCGS' Eleanor Chan and Mazel Ng then beat Verone Lim and Nicole Yim 21-11, 21-13, with Elisabeth Kam winning the final match against Rayanne Chua 21-7, 21-16.
Tricia, a Secondary 4 student, said: "Everyone has worked very hard, so to win the gold for our school, we are very happy. It's our last year in this team so we're glad to have won it."
SCGS captain Avril Yau added: "It was really the team spirit that enabled us to inch towards the victory. Leading up to the NSG, our team really grew close to each other. We encourage, motivate and comfort each other whenever we need to and this bond was really important.”
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
