Cai Jian Bo smashes as team mate Chua Shao Xuan watches on. The Paya Lebar pair triumphed 3-1 (12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6) against their older opponents from Hougang CSC. (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Paya Lebar-Kovan CC, Saturday, June 9, 2012 — Paya Lebar CSC beat Hougang CSC 3-1 for their second group win in the Community Games table tennis tournament.
This is the second group win for Paya Lebar and it secures for themselves a place in the final of their Aljunied Cluster. The top two teams of each cluster will go on to play in the inaugural Singapore National Games scheduled for September 1st to 9th.
Chifumi beat Tan Pei Ying 3-0 (11-9, 11-1, 11-5) to win the only point for Hougang.
The young pair of Cai Jun Bo and Chua Shao Xuan won the opening point for Paya Lebar when they beat their older Hougang opponents, Lee Kway Hee and Tan Chin Boon, 3-1 (12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6).
The Paya Lebar pair of Yuen Chin Kee and Evan Wong beat Jimmy Lee and Edward Ting of Hougang 3-1 (11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5) to win their Men’s Doubles Masters match.
Paya Lebar’s winning point came from Tan Lye Seng who beat Chan Ding Yu 3-0 (12-10, 11-5, 11-6).
The first game saw a teenage pair of Jun Bo and Shao Xuan from Paya Lebar matching wits and skill against an older pair of Kway Hee and Chin Boon from Hougang.
Kway Hee and Chin Boon looked set to wrap up the first game when they lead 10-8 but Jun Bo and Shao Xuan rallied to score four straight points to win 12-10.
1-0 up, Jun Bo and Shao Xuan then rode that momentum to score five straight points in the second game to lead 5-0 before Kway Hee and Chin Boon fought back to trail only by two at 5-7. However, their come back was stopped and they were only allowed another point as Jun Bo and Shao Xuan wrapped up the second game 11-6.
It was Hougang all the way in the third game as Kway Hee and Chin Boon led for the most part. Jun Bo and Shao Xuan saved one game point at 5-10 but could not stop their opponents winning the game 11-6.
The fourth game was close as the pairs moved from 3-3 to 5-5. Jun Bo and Shao Xuan edged ahead 8-6 before pulling away to win the game 11-6 and the match 3-1.
As it turns out, Shao Zuan and Jian Bo have known each other since their time together in Maris Stella Primary.
“We knew each other from the school team since we met in Primary 3,” said Shao Xuan, 15, who now represents Raffles Institution in table tennis.
Jian Bo, 17, plays for Maris Stella High, and they won the National B Division Table Tennis Championship.
And guess which was the team they beat in the final? Raffles Institution.
“We lost 3-2,” said Shao Xuan.
“In inter-school table tennis, there’s more pressure because we must win!” said Jian Bo.
For Tan Lye Seng, 42, playing in the Community Games table tennis tournament has been a revelation.
“I’m surprised about the other team. Their standard is quite high! It’s difficult to form a team but after seeing teams like Hougang, I can see that a lot of people play table tennis in Singapore,” said Lye Seng.
“The Community Games is a good thing. I get to know more people. I didn’t know so many players until I joined,” added Lye Seng.
Paya Lebar CSC's Yuen Chin Kee serves in the Men's Doubles Masters match. (Photo 2 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
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[…] won the only point for Hougang CSC as they went down 1-3 to Paya Lebar CSC. She beat Tan Pei Ying of Paya Lebar 3-0 (11-9, 11-1, […]