By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Polite-handball-np-vs-ite-05

Timothy Teo (NP #13) managing to break through from the wing to go for an open shot. (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)

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Singapore Polytechnic, Sunday, October 6, 2013 — Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) managed to subdue a strong Institute of Technical Education (ITE) team to win their third game 33–16 in the 3rd Handball Invitational Games. Lewis Syn (NP #2) and Toh Wei Jie (NP #5) accounted for almost half of their team’s goals together, scoring eight apiece.

This is NP’s third win, after wins against Republic Polytechnic (RP) and Nanyang Polytechnic (NP). They are now vying with Singapore Polytechnic for the top spot and they will face off this coming Friday.

ITE started off the match well on defense, executing decisive clamps on the NP players cutting in on the waves. On the other end, Irfan (ITE #9) struck first, executing a feint to break off from his defender and score.

NP seemed shaky early on as ITE’s waving got the better of them on defence. However, Lewis Syn (NP #2) found some success offensively, making improbable shots from tight angles on offence to pace his team.

As the half wore on, NP built on the momentum as their players started to warm up. Toh Wei Jie (NP #5) was a beneficiary, scoring multiple goals as NP became increasingly rampant on offence. Mohamad Shahrin (ITE #2) looked solid in front of goal in previous games but he inexplicably crumbled in the face of the NP juggernaut. NP finished the first half up a comfortable 15–8.

The second half was an uphill battle for ITE as their attempts on goal started to taper off. Their shots were mild enough that NP keeper Leslie Tay (NP #1) seemed extremely comfortable in front of goal, not requiring much effort to keep their shots out.

The game was suspended temporarily, as Saiful Rijal (ITE #14) sustained a deep gash on his lip on one of the plays. He was taken out of the game immediately and received immediate medical attention. His condition was stable at the conclusion of the game, although he was sent to the hospital for a checkup as a precaution.

Towards the end of the game, fatigue took a toll on both teams as they suffered from a scoring drought. ITE were unable to dig themselves out of the hole they made for themselves in the first half and NP ran out 33–16 winners. They now face Singapore Polytechnic (SP) in the decider on Friday.

“From the second half onwards, we were trying to play to their pace instead of our own which does not work for us. The fact that we just started this combined team, we haven’t had as many trainings to prepare for this competition and thus lack the chemistry that Ngee Ann displayed today,” said ITE captain, Mohamad Irfan (#9). “Overall, it was still a good fight today and I’m really proud of my team for everything that we’ve gone through.”

“Today game was much better than our previous game.” commented NP captain, Lewis Syn (#2). “We managed to meet our target, which was to put up a stronger defense and also work on our attacks by ‘waving’ faster. ITE had many strong experienced individual players which didn’t make it easy for us. It was definitely a very good fight put up by both teams today.”

Top Scorers
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Lewis Syn (#2) — 8 points
Toh Wei Jie (#5) — 8 points

ITE
Mohamad Irfan Bin Mohamad Sahar (#9) — 6 points

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Roster
Leslie Tay (#1), Lewis Syn (#2), Leo Chung Sing (#3), Dimaunahan Karl Vincent (#4), Toh Wei Jie (#5), Goh Jun Liang (#6), Teo Shi Han (#7), Chen Tse Yu (#8), Liang How Neng (#9), Andrew Wong (#10), Ong Wee Chieh (#11), Wong Wing Lun (#12), Timothy Teo (#13), Sebastian Low (#14), Hong Rui (#15), Muhammad Hazwan (#16)

ITE Roster
Muhammad Zamir Bin Rosli (#1), Mohamad Shahrin Bin Abdullah (#2), Muhammad Qais Bin Sharif (#3), Ong Yong Ze Arnold (#4), Muhammad Hafidz Bin Mohd Yusri (#5), Glen Chan Wah Chuan (#6), Kieran Poh Keng Hian (#7), Tan Yong Liang Kevin (#8), Mohamad Irfan Bin Mohamad Sahar (#9), Wong Chong En (#10), Xiong Yi En Marcus (#11), Wee Guo Rui (#12), Abu Bakar Bin Masdollah (#13), Saiful Rijal Bin Mohd Radhid (#14), Muhammad Yasin Bin Abdul Latiff (#15), Jordan Ng Ching Yeow (#16)

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