Nanyang Girls’ beat Bukit View convincingly in West Zone table tennis

Story and photos by REDintern Kelly Kuo

 
Bukit View Secondary School, Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - Within a time span of less than an hour, traditional powerhouse Nanyang Girls' High sealed a conclusive 5-0 victory against Bukit View Secondary in the first round of the B Division Girls’ West Zone Table Tennis Championship.

Nanyang did not drop a single set in their conquest, as their seven players smashed, flipped, and chopped their way through the game.

The first singles match started with the Nanyang player showing a powerful forehand and backhand smash which left her Bukit View counterpart with no chance to reply. However, accuracy was one of the Nanyang player's minor weaknesses as she dropped a couple of points with missed smashes, possibly caused by her opponent’s strategic placement of the ball.

In the middle of the third set, the Bukit View player led 4-3, but the Nanyang player kept her composure and caught up to take the last set 11-6.

Next up was the first doubles match. The Nanyang team not only had better chemistry, but they also had a much more accurate forehand smash. The game ended very quickly in favour of Nanyang, with a dominating score line that read 11-2, 11-1, 11-2.

The second singles player from Bukit View was more consistent, but had some difficulty in handling the spinning chops from her opponent. The Nanyang player was not as aggressive as compared to her team's first singles, but had pinpoint accuracy as she placed one smash after another on the edge of the table.

The Bukit View player however, put up a brave fight as she patiently returned the ball, forcing some errors from her opponent. She also showed her capability when she executed a flawless smash in the middle of the third match. The Nanyang player, however, remained composed and eventually took the match 11-6.

With victory already in the bag for Nanyang, the second doubles of both sides entered the competition area without much pressure. In this match-up, it was obvious that Nanyang was the stronger side. Be it in service, strength or accuracy, the Nanyang doubles was ahead by a mile. Not long later, the match ended with a definite victory for the already winning side.

The third singles was the last match of the day. The Bukit View player had to be credited for her aggressiveness and willingness to take risks, as she tried to outplay her Nanyang opponent. In the end however, it was still skill that ultimately prevailed as the Nanyang third singles took the last match 11-1 to complete the victory for her side.

N.B. If you know the names of the players featured in the pictures, do let us know in the comments section.

If you can provide us with the team list of each team, that would be great too and we’ll update the story.