CHIJ Toa Payoh vs Raffles Girls’ Secondary School 

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, 8th March – CHIJ (Toa Payoh) was crowned champions of the South Zone Inter-Schools Netball Championships after they beat Raffles Girls’   School in both the ‘B’ and ‘C’ Division finals.

The sports hall was filled with parents and students and separated into two sections; one of which was decorated with white and blue, and the other side black and     green – supporting CHIJ Toa Payoh and Raffles Girls’ Secondary School respectively.

The two ‘C’ Division powerhouses heated up the court with their aggression and determination to take home the win the moment the first whistle was blown. With such high intensity, HIJ bucked up quickly and took control of the game. Tightening their defence, they disabled their opponents and gave them tough fight. This allowed HIJ to lead 11-6.

Despite a shaky start, RGS picked up their pace in the 2nd quarter and decided on short passes as their main strategy. It was effective and got their game going for a while. Unfortunately for them, HIJ’s Goal Defence (GD), Nisha, was ruthless and intercepted nearly every ball in the goal circle – hence, RGS did not manage to increase their score. HIJ continued leading 19-9 by the end of the 2nd quarter.

The battle continued in the 3rd quarter as both teams seemed to have stepped up. Despite the size difference, RGS was determined to go for every ball, but the HIJ girls did not allow any of that to happen. They were equally competitive and driven to win. Goal Keeper (GK), Emma, from RGS, stood out from fellow defenders and managed to steal a rebound – taking one for the team and finished it off with a shot by Goal Shooter (GS) Michelle.

In the final quarter, the girls in white and blue managed to widen the goal difference and to comfortably wrap up the game 37-18. 

The competition simmered down in the last quarter as RGS seemed to have been more relaxed. Many passes were lost to HIJ and all of which ended up as shots.

 ‘I know that the girls played their best and we gave our all on court,’ RGS Captain, Emma answered when asked how they felt about the game. ‘I’m proud of us for        playing our best and despite falling behind, we never gave up.’

 As for HIJ, after questioning Coach Kok Mun Wai on how this experience has helped her girls, she replied, ‘It was a change of environment and the girls weren’t used   to the location. It’s good that they’re able to expose themselves to different environments and situations in order to further improve their play. However, they did not     play as per usual today but managed to settle down after familiarising themselves to the surroundings.’

In the next game, their seniors continued to excite the crowds. With chants and cheers from both schools, HIJ and RGS were surprisingly calm and composed in the first quarter. But as the minutes passed their nerves got the best of them – there wasn’t much flow on court. However, the 2015 champions, HIJ, focused and manage to lead 9-5.

The temperature rose in the 2nd quarter. Goal Keeper (GK), Miki, from RGS stood out from her fellow defenders as she jumped and dived for every single ball. Countless of passes and rebounds fell into the stellar player’s hands and these turnovers gave RGS the opportunity to step up. However, at the other end, Goal Defence (GD), Alëna, from HIJ was also giving her competitor a tough time. Both sides were equally tough and stuck onto each other like glue. Thanks to impressively consistent shots, RGS pulled up their score by 9 goals in quarter 2, but HIJ still lead by just 1 goal, 15-14.

No player on court lagged behind and the tension was nerve-wrecking in the 3rd quarter. All eyes were on the ball and each and every player was focused. RGS was determined to narrow the score gap, but could managed 5 goals in the 3rd quarter. HIJ continued to be dominant and was still in the lead 22-19.

There was no sign of backing down for HIJ and their willingness to push through and give their all was an inspiration to their juniors and all their supporters. The sports hall was filled with cheers as HIJ widen the goal difference in the final quarter, with a 32-24 win against RGS.

Double the victory, double the happiness for CHIJ Toa Payoh!The top title goes to HIJ, and the school takes pride in the Netball champs as both divisions took home the trophy.