Grace and Tham's quarter finals

dear readers

Aus is leading 9/6 in the QF against Indo. Indo reduces the deficit to 1 pt. As gets back a pt.Indo draws at 10 all after 2 errors from Aus. Indo gets to 11 first. The girls look evenly matched.

However We lose 3 pts in a row. grace smashes a weak return to lessen the difference. However we still trail 15/11. Suddenly we are trailing 12/16. We continue to lose pts and now trail at 17/12.  Now at 19/13. It is looking dire as Indo gets to game point. Indo wins the first set.

We trail 4/5 at the 2 nd. The girls are giving everything they have. They drop to 7/4 and then lose another pt.  Graces smashes are returned twice before Indo gets the pt.  Tam's return shot hits the net and tumbles ver for a pt. We need all the luck we can get. Aus now trails at 11/6. Grace's smash goes out to her frustration.  Aus now trails 13/7 before we get another pt. We ge t 2 pts in a row to get to 10/14. Grace does a quick drop to get us to 12/15.  tam gets another pt with a drop shot.  She ask for a change in shutter.   We get to 15 all.  Aus then takes he lead.  Grace gets another pt with a smash that Indo returns out. Indo gets back a pt at 16/17.  Another smash of Grace is returned out. Come on girls, get the 3rd set. Indo gets to 17/18.  Indo draws at 18/18.  e now trail by 1 pt. Graces shot tumbles over  and we get the next shot to get to game point. We are now 20 all. Indo gets 21/20.  ndo gets the final pt to win the match. The girls fought hard but was not able to convert.  They have done Aus well.

Janet Son and Tiffany Ho v Indonesia

Dear readers

Janet and Tiff are about to start their match against Indo's Gregoria and Fauzia.

They trail at 3 love as the girls get their jitters out. Janet gets their first pt with a good smash. They trail at 3/5.  They remain at 4 while Indo continues their lead. They reduce the points to 7/8.  Indo gets to 11/7.

Indo remains ahead at 12/7. Aus gets back a few pts. There is a long rally where Ho turns defence to attack and then the Indo turn the game around again for the point.

Indo is now at 14/9. Ho gets a good net drop to get another pt. Indo remains strong and get to 19/10. Indo gets the first set at 21/10.

Aus will have to fight harder if they want a rubber.


Aus keeps close to the Indo team for the 2nd set. The score is 3/4. We now trail at 4/7.


There is a long rally but Aus could not capitalise on the advantage when the smash goes to the net.

There is another long rally before Aus hits to the net. Everything Aus throws at Indo comes back.

Indo gets to 11/4.

Aus trails at 14/5.  Indo seems to be lifting and waiting for Aus to make the mistake.  We now trail at 16/6.  Yet another long rally where Aus hits the net to give Indo the point. The last rally must have gone for about 30 strokes before Aus hits the net to give Indo another pt.

Indo reaches  match point. They continue to lift while waiting for us to make a mistake. This time Aus gets the point. Indo finally finishes the game. Both Ho and Janet have tried their best. Unfortunately the Indo girls are too strong.

Good luck to Janet and Ho for their future games Their journey ends today but the future looks bright.

Jennifer Tham and Grace Ngiam

Dear readers

I just arrived at the court.

Tham and Ngiam lost the first set at 23/21 after a close fight. They are playing Singapore.

The 2nd will be a thriller too. They are at 6 all after Grace's drop tumbles over the net. They are leading at 6/9 now. They retain the lead at 7/10.  Aus gets to 11 first. This could be a 3 setter.

Aus needs to stay at the lead. Singapore gets to 10/12. Tam smashes out and Spore gets closer. They are at 12 all. Spore now takes the lead by 2 pts. Grace smashes for a point. They are at 14 all.  Aus takes the lead again.  Grace gets another pt to extend the lead by 2 pts. Tam gets to 17/16 and Grace gets another pt.  Aus gets to game pt. 18.  Tam hits the shutter down the middle to get Aus a rubber.

Both girls from Aus are hyped up. They need to put the pressure on Spore.

Aus gets to 2/1 and then gets another pt. They now lead at 4/1. Spore gets to 3/4, Tam smashes for another pt. Spore trails at 4/6. Aus extends the lead to 8/4.  Spore gets to 5/10 but Aus  gets to 11 first.

Aus lose 2 pts in a row before getting to 15/9. Spore gets to 10/15.

The score is now 12/15 in Aus favour.

Grace does a great drop cross to get to 18/14.  We get to match point 14. Spore does not give up and get another pt.  A high serve is smashed to the net by Grace.  

Aus remains calm and get to match pt before Tam smashes for the winner. Great game girls. They deserve the win.

Tham comes to high five us and I notice she has blood on her face. She told me she bled for Australia. What a strong spirit. The girls now get to play for the quarterfinals against an Indo pair. Good luck to them.

Great photo shots by Simon Mak the pro

Dear readers,

We are lucky that Joy Lai's dad Simon is with us at the competition. He has been taking loads of photos which I will be uploading to the blog. He lugs around about 5 kg of equipment everyday and is definitely fitter than myself. The quality of his photos will show the care and attention he brings to his photography. Have a look at the photos and send him an email if you wish to download them for your own use for copyright purposes. I am sure he will oblige.

Here are some of the shots including the training sessions that are compulsory even in the heat.

 

 

Huai Dong's and Phing's singles

Dear readers

HD is playing Singapore's NG ZRR. He is trailing at 7/10. He reduces the gap to 2 pts. Singapore gets to 11 first. The Spore player is fast. Spore gets to 15/8 and then 17/8.  HD gets a point with a smash to get to 9/17. Spore does a high jump smash to extend the lead again to 19/9.  HD gets to 10 after Spore hits out. Spore gets to game point but HD hangs on for another pt.  After a long rally HD loses the set.

Hopefully HD recovers for the 2nd set.

HD trails at 2/3. He is getting outsmashed by the Sporean. He now trails 5/2 and then 7/2 . HD tries for a towel break to break the other player's good run but the umpire rejects his request. He now trails 10/2. Spore gets to 11/3.  HD gets the first point after the interval.  He now trails at 14/4.  Spore hits out to give HD a point. Nothing is going right for HD as his shutter falls to his side of the net after a good drop.

He gets a point to 6/19.  Spore gets to match point and finishes the match.

That's the end of he tournament for HD. He has progressed further than any other player but the journey ends here. The experience earned will help him in the future.

The next game we are watching is Phing's game.

Phing is down 15/8 against the no. 4 seeded Indonesian player Sheren. She trails at 18/10. Spore gets to game point 10 and then the set.

Hopefully she will play a better 2nd set.

She trails at 3 love. She gets to 3/5 and keeps close to Indo. She gets another pt. Indo hits back to get to 8/4 and then 9/4. Indo gets to 11/4.  Indo remains strong at 13/5. Phing wins 2 pts in a row but remains at 15/8.  She continues to trail at 17/9.  Indo gets to 19/9 and looks like she is closing the game. Match point is reached by Indo but Phing recovers a point.  But the rally and match ends when her shutter hits the post.  Her tournament ends but her training will continue.

Jaz and Amos, Tyz and Xiang, HD and Justin

Dear readers

Jaz and Amos are playing a Thai pair, Mek and Kantawait. They lost an early lead and are now trailing 9/10.

 Thai gets 11 /9.

They still trail at 13/10.  Now down 15/10.  They get back a hard earned point and then another to reduce the deficit.  Now they are down 18/12.

Thai gets to 20/12 without a problem and they win the first set at 21/13.


After a long rally in the 2nd set, Aus loses the point and the score is now 2/4.


Aus is now trailing 7/2.  Jaz and Amos need to play harder as they are now down 9/2. Thai gets to 11/3.  Too many mistakes are being made by the Aus players. They are at 14/3. Trailing at 16/3 and the game looks lost. Aus lose another long rally and are at 18/4.  They are facing match point 4. We  lose the game badly at 21/4. That's the end of the tournament for Jaz and Amos. Hopefully this experience will teach them for the future.

Tyz and Xiang are next in the same court playing Japan's Chikugo and Honda.

Hopefully this will be a better match.  Aus lose the first 2 points. They then draw. They lose 2 points in a row.  Tyz is jump smashing well. The score is now 5/4 in Japan' favour. Aus is now down 11/5 after a few simple errors.

Tyz and Xiang need to play faster and harder.  They get to 8/11. Now down 15/8.  Japan gets to 17/9.

We get a pt back but there is a 7 pt deficit.  They reduce it to 5 pts and then 4.  Now down 19/13.

Japan reaches game pt and win the first set at 20/13.

Aus is down 5/3. we get back to 8/6. Both are drawn at 8. Aus gets to 11 first. We still lead 11/13.  Aus gets a good rally and point. Aus leads 15/13. Now leading 16/14 but Japan gets back a pt to reduce the score. Japan gets to 13/15.  We are at 17/19.  Aus gets to game point. Tyz gets a good shot for a 3rd set. He is hyped up.

They are at 4/4. Now trailing at 6/4. Suddenly they are down 8/4. They lose 6 pts in a row before getting 1 to 5/10.  They get another point. They reduce a further pt. Japan gets to 11/7.  Japan extends the lead. We get  1 pt to 9/14. Japan gets to 17/10 when Xiang dives but cannot get the shot. Tyz does a flick serve to get another pt. Japan gets to match point 12. Japan wins the 3rd set after Aus gave everything they had.  The boys gave everything they had. Xiang's parents will be proud of him. I am certainly proud of how Tyz fought all the way. He will be disappointed that the tournament has ended for him. Both Xiang and Tyz will have learned lots from this tournament.

HD and Justin are playing Malaysia's Tan and Ooi.  HD just got a pt with a tumble drop. Msia gets to 11 first but I cannot hear the score. I think Msia wins the first set. I am not sure what is happening with HD and Justin as I am engrossed in Tyz and Xiang's game. Msia gets to match point. They win the 2nd set. The final score was 21/7 and 21/8. That's the end of the tournament for Justin too and he has performed well in his first international. HD still has his singles tomorrow and hopefully he continues his good performance.

Gee, it is difficult blogging with 2 games going on at the same time.

Joy Lai and Alice Wu.

Dear readers

Joy and Wu will be matching their skills against an Indo pair named Yulfira and Dianita. Joy and Wu are the most seasoned players in the Aus contingent. The score is now 11/8 in Indo's favour. Aus is keeping up and returning the strong Indo smashes.

Aus is now trailing at 15/10 and they need to catch up. They get to 12/19 but are in danger. The Indo pair gets to set point and win with a smash.

They start the 2nd set and Aus starts with the point.  However they trail at 11/4 as the Indo pair is strong. I am trying to video the players and trying to catch them in a winning long rally. I could not get a good video as the girls are losing. They are staring at match point and their return hits the net for Indo to win comfortably at 21/10.  That's the end of the tournament for Joy and I am sure she has learned lots here.  Her supportive parents are here to comfort her in her loss.

Justin and HD's singles

Dear readers

Justin is playing a Thai player named Korarit L. He is trailing at 3/6.  He is wearing a red T shirt as his only Australian T shirt is still wet. I think there is a difference in play when you are wearing a T shirt representing your country.  Thai gets to 11/5.

The Thai player is attacking Justin's backhand. He now trails 13/6. He loses another point after a long rally. The Thai player gets to 17/7 with a high jump smash. Justin now trails by 19/7 and can find no answer to the Thai player's onslaught. Thai reaches set point. Justin gets back 1 point and then smashes out to lose the set.

Can Justin find the courage from yesterday to get a 3 rd set?

In the 2nd set he slides down to 8 love and then 10 love before reaching 11 without a point.  He gets a point after Thai makes a mistake at the net.

None of Justin's shots are getting in. He is now down 13/1. This is the real level of international badminton in the junior division.  I am reminded of my chats with Yogendra from NVBA in Malaysia. He informs me that all the players from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines are hand picked for training at the club or country's expense. The parents are paid for their children to be taken away and the players train every day.

Thai gets to 19/4 and then match point after a strong smash. Justin loses the match at 20/4. He must be disappointed but his parents will know that he has done his best/



HD is playing a Malaysian Hoo PR. They look evenly matched. The score is 3 all.

Now at 5 all. HD is wearing his NSW T shirt. Must be because he feels it is his lucky T shirt as he won the Aus Under 15 s in that T shirt.  Now tied at 9 all.  HD gets to 11 first.

The Malaysia player has no coach and is wearing a Kuala Lumpur shirt. That means he is not in the official Malaysian team according to Yogendra from NVBA. Which means the player paid for their own trip to Singapore just like the Australian players. What a difference between full sponsorship and nil sponsorship.

I am still trying to understand how the different countries fund their players.

HD gets to 20/14 and wins the set.


He is leading the 2nd set at 3/2.

He trails for the first time at 4/3. He gets back the lead at 5/4 but makes a few errors to trail at 7/9.

Hoo gets to 11 first.

Can HD get back the lead?  Hoo wins the 2nd set.

HD leads the 3rd at 2/1.  Hoo makes a few errors to give HD a 2 pt lead.  HD leads at 8/4.  After a long rally Hoo hits the net.  HD needs to stay focused.  HD retains a 3 pt lead.  HD gets to 11 first. Hoo gets back a point to 8/12 and then smashes to another point to reduce the deficit.  Hoo is catching up but HD has game point 18. Hoo gets to 19.


Hoo gets to deuce but hits the shutter out for  the advantage to HD. HD hits out after a short rally. They are at deuce again.  Hoo returns a smash to the back which is in but HD thinks is out . HD finally wins the the 3rd set. He has done well for Australia while wearing his NSW shirt. Good luck to his next round.

Huai Dong, Alice Wu and Grace Ngiam's games

Dear readers


We were all looking at Janet do a kangaroo hop around the badminton hall. That was her punishment for losing all the training round robin games. She is such a trooper. She has great manners and always says thank you and hello. Unfortunately not all the other players are that well mannered.

Anyway, the team then goes to see Huai Dong play his game. He just won the first set against a Malaysian.

The Malaysian player moves well but is making lots of errors.

HD leads at 4/2.  He gets to 11 first. the Malaysian boy has no coach while Nick and Glenn goes to speak to HD.

 HD should be able to finish the 2nd set easily. HD finishes the game after a cross drop by the  Malaysian player which HD anticipates and kills.

That was another easy game for HD.

The team return to the hotel to prepare for the evening games. I decide to go for dinner with Touk Krei and Annie.

I just came back to the courts. Alice has just finished her game. She lost  both sets 21/13 and 21/14. Unfortunately I missed the game.


It is Grace Ngiam next.

She is playing Haryanti from Indonesia. At least Grace is bigger than her opponent. That is always an advantage.

Grace gets the first point. Some of these girls have real strong smashes.

Grace is trailing  at 6/9. Indo gets to 11 first. She recovers to get  8/12 and then wins another point. She cuts the deficit to 3 pts. She reaches 12/14 and then gets another pt.  Unfortunately her next smash goes out.

Indo smashes strongly to get back a 2 pt lead.

Grace fights back to narrow the lead to 1 pt. It is now 16/17. She draws at 17 and then takes the lead. She then serves out to draw at 18. Indo gets the lead again. grace draws again at 19 all. She gets to game point.  She retrieves a good drop but then smashes into the net. It is now 21 all.

Indo takes the lead again.  Grace draws with a cross drop. She then serves out. She returns a smash and it goes out to give Indo the set. What a waste.

She needs to find her inner strength for the next set.

She trails at 3/1 for the 2nd set. She is losing concentration at 7/3. She serves out to lose a pt and then does a delicate drop to the net to retrieve the point. It is now 10/6 to Indo. Grace needs to step up.

She gets 2 points in a row attacking the backhand of Indo's player. Indo still gets to 11 first.

Grace is now trailing at 16/9.  It is now 17/11 .  Indo gets to 19/11.  Grace does not give up.   She gets back 1 pt.  and another. Yet another pt goes to Grace to reduce the gap. She is fighting back strongly. She is at 17/20 and still fighting.  She gets to 18 staring Indo down. She gets another pt and Aus supporters are shouting. She then hits the shuttle out to give Indo the game. She almost had it. her parents should be proud of her.

Massive groupers waiting for the dinner table

After the last game, I met up with Touk Krei and Annie for dinner. I took a walk in Geylang and took these interesting pictures.

A peaceful temple amidst the hustle and bustle of Geylang

An old mosque which shows how multicultural Geylang is.

Durian and other fruits on sale

Jazton's and Justin's singles

Dear readers

Jaz is playing his singles against Wilfred Ng, a Singaporean. I think he is a club player and not in the Singapore team. They are going neck to neck at 8/6. Jaz trails at 7/9. Singapore reaches 11 first at 11/7. Most of the points were given away by Jaz hitting out.

He is now trailing at 8/13.  Jaz has to do better as he is trailing at 9/17. He gets back 2 pts to get 13/18 and then 14/18. He gets another point to get to 15/18. He cuts the deficit to 3 pts. He is now at 17/19. He gets to 18/19.  He loses the first set at 18/21.

I think Jaz is finally warming up.  Hopefully he plays a better 2nd set. They are at 5 all. Singapore gets to 7/5.  He keeps close at 7/8 and then draws.  He finally takes the lead. Jaz gets to 11/9 first.

Singapore draws at 12 all.

Singapore takes the lead again.They are drawn at 14 all again. Now at 15 all again.  Singapore leads again.  Jaz gets to 18/19. And then draws. Singapore gets to match point and then hits a winner. Jaz will be disappointed. However he still has his doubles to look forward to.

Justin is playing a Malaysian named Kiraranraj. They go head to head and point for point. Unfortunately Justin could not catch up enough and lost the first set at 21/19.

He is going for the 2nd set with more determination.

He comes back stronger and starts with 5 love. He gives Malaysia a point after hitting out.  Justin retains the lead at 8/4.  He remains the lead at 10/6.  He should be able to get a 3rd set if he retains the lead.  Justin gets to 11 first.

Malaysia gets to 8/11 after a smash from Justin goes out.

After a long rally, Justin gets to 13/9.

He gets lucky after leaving the court open and the Malaysian player hits out.

The score is at 12/17. He needs to close the set. He hits 2 shots out letting Malaysia get closer.

Malaysia has now caught up to 16/17.

He gets to 19/17. Malaysia gets to 18/19.  Justin gets to set point.  He wins the set and gets a rubber.

Justin gets the early lead to 3/1. The score is now 4 all.  Malaysia takes the lead at 5/4. Justin now trails 5/8.

Justin looks like he is getting tired. He is making mistakes and giving the Malaysian player a bigger lead. He gets to 7/10.  Malaysia gets to 11/8. The heat must be getting to Justin. He gets to 9/13.
he gets 2 points in a row to get to 11/13.

Justin now trails at 12/15.

Justin gets another point after a long rally.

Justin is just hanging on. He gets to 16 all. They are going point for point.  He now trails at 17/19. He gets back a point with a good smash.

Justin wins the match with a good smash.  The final score was 19/21, 21/18 and 21/19. That was a hard won and well deserved victory. His parents should be proud of him.

Tyzton and Xiang's Doubles match plus Justin and HD'S doubles

Dear readers

Xiang and Tyz are starting their doubles game against 2 Malaysian Lim  brothers. They get a quick lead of 2 pts. They are now up 4/1.   Malaysia gets to 2/7.  Australia gets to 11 first.
They are up at 14/10. They need to continue the pressure. They get to 16/10.  Malaysia gets a few pts to 13. Australian gets to set point  and Malaysia is at 15. Australia finishes the set.

The Malaysian Lim brothers remind me of Jaz and Tyz playing together. It is good bonding for the brothers.

2nd set and Malaysia gets the first point.  Malaysia gets the lead by 2 points but Aus quickly regains the lead before Malaysia draws at 6. They now draw at 7.  Malaysia gets the lead again at 9/7.  Aus draws at 9 and then takes the lead by 1 point. After a long rally Aus gets to 11 first.  They get to 15/11 before losing a point.

 

Aus gets to 19/13. they then get to match point with Xiang serving for an easy win. That's a first international win for Xiang and Tyzton at 21/15 and 21/14. They should be proud.

Tyz and Xiang are also surnamed Lin Tan respectively which sounds like Lin Dan.

Huai Dong and Justin are playing an Indonesia pair.

Indonesia gets the first set although Justin and Huai Dong are giving all they have.

Indo gets a lead in the 2nd set. Aus gets back a point after a good cross net by Justin. They draw with a strong smash by HD. Indo gets to 4/5. They are now playing point for point at 6 all. Indo gets the lead again.

Aus gets back the lead at 10/9. This is a closer fight and Aus needs to stay close.  They are now at 15 all.  Aus gets to a game point for a try at a 3rd set. Aus fails to convert and they are at deuce. They are now at 21 all. Aus gets the lead again. Indo gets back to deuce at 24 all. Indo gets the match point but Justin smashes to get back to deuce.  Aus gets the lead again when Indo hits out. Indo deuces yet again. Indo gets the lead again. Justin deuces for Aus. Aus gets the lead again at 26/25.  Justin kills a smash to get Aus the 3rd set.

Aus leads at 3/2.  They are now at 4 all. Both teams are still deadlocked at 6 all. Now at 8 all. Which team will break out.

Indo gets to 11/10.  Aus gets to 13/12 and then 15/12. Aus lose 2 points in a row to Indo.  Now they are at 16 all. This will be a deuce game I think.

Aus now leads at 18/16. Indo hits out an easy shot to give us another point. Aus hits 2 shots out and they are at 19 all again. Aus gets to match point and the linesman have to clean up the sweat after the Indo player falls on the floor. Aus wins the match.

That was a close game at 19/21, 27/25 and 21/19.

Gavin Ho and Jennifer Tam's games

Dear readers

Gavin is starting his game against an Indonesian player named F Yafi. Most of the players have returned to the hotel as they have been here in this stuffy court the whole day. Only Janet, Tiffany and Amos are here to cheer Gavin and Jennifer.

He is trailing 3/1. He gets a let after his shot went out. Now he is trailing at 6/1. Our players need to be more consistent and not give points away.

Indonesia gets to 11/3.   He trails at 15/6 before getting another point.


He gets to 10/17 after a strong smash.

He is now at 12/18. He just lost the first set at 21/12.

I am now at 3% battery strength.

He trails again on the 2nd set at 1/4.  He is now at 2/4.  He needs to keep close to his opponent. He draws at 5 all with a good smash.

They are trading points now at 6 all.  Gavin now trails by 1 point. He gets to 9/10. Indonesia gets to 11/9.  This is a better set and Gavin might have a chance. However I am down to 1% battery strength.

I have just recharged the battery for a short period.

Gavin loses the 2nd set at 21/11 and is quite upset.

Jennifer is playing a Singaporean girl  named Tan Ai  Ninna. She just lost the lead and the Singapore girl is at 11/10 first.

Jennifer proceeds to lose the first set.

The 2nd set seems a better set for Jennifer. She is leading by a small margin.  She gets to 11 first. However the Singaporean girl steps up and finally wins the game to Jennifer's disappointment.

That means the only player that made it through today was Huaidong.

Tomorrow the boys play their doubles games at 9.30 am. Stay tuned.

Joy Lai's and Amos Yi' games

Dear readers

Just came back after bringing some of the players to dinner. We missed Joy's games against Malaysian G Nurul. She lost the first set under 10 but came back strongly to win the 2nd set at 16/21. Unfortunately like Janet, she could not capitalise on  her win as she ran out of stamina. Her final score was 21/13.

Her Indonesian opponent proved too strong and was more able in the heat. She must be disappointed. She now has to focus on her doubles.

 

Amos is now playing Maliki Aiman of Malaysia. He is down 21/14 in the first set. He will have to find his inner spirit to win the 2nd set.

He is trailing again. Malaysia gets to 11 first. Amos is having a tough time keeping up. His shots are not getting in. Amos just lost the 2nd set.

Janet's and Tiffany's game

Dear readers

Janet is playing A Wahyuni, an Indonesian girl who looks like she is a whole head taller than Janet. Janet tries hard but loses the first set.

She is doing better at the 2nd set.  She keeps it close at 5/7. She gets another point after a good cross. The heat is getting to Janet and she asks for a towel break.

Indonesia gets to 11 first. Janet gets 2 points back after some great footwork.

The score is now 10/15 against Janet. She is a small sized girl but has a big heart. As she is not giving up. She cuts the deficit to 14/16.  A quick smash brings her another point followed by a good drop for a further point. She might have a chance for a 3rd set as she draws. She hits a high serve which Indonesia thinks will go out but is in.  The score is still 18 all. She gets the lead again at 19/18. Her next shot goes out after a long rally.  The score is now 20 all.  Janet takes the lead at deuce. She hits out after a long rally for deuce again at 21 all. Janet gets the lead again after a good drop.

The score is 22-21. Indonesia deuces again. Janet is giving everything in the hot and humid Singapore heat. She takes the lead again and must close for a 3rd set. She gets the 3rd set after a great cross drop. Attagirl.


Janet is down 3 love in the 3rd set. She gets her first point. The score is at 5 all after great strategic play from Janet.

I hope my iPad has enough battery to last the game. She keeps Indonesia honest at 6 all but then hits out her serve.

She gets a 2 point deficit again.  Both players look tired and are making errors.  Janet gets to 11 first with a good smash.

She hits her serve out again. She has lost quite a few points at serve.

Oh dear the heat just got to Janet and she just needs a break. She is clutching her tummy after expressing herself orally. Can she finish up. The score is at 14/15 in Janet's favour but she needs more strength to finish the game. She crafts 2 sets with a smash finish to get  to 18/20.  She gets to 19/20. Her face is all pale. She loses the final point after a strong smash by Indonesia.  Janet should stand proud.

Tiffany is trailing at 15/12. Both girls are moving well and fast.


The score is 12 all.

Tiffany is starting her game. At least she is the same height as her opponent. Both players are screamers and I can hear them when they win their points.

The playing style of both girls are the same. Long rallies and clears.  She is down at 20/16.  Ho hits the shuttle out to give Indonesia the set.

I have 2% battery left .

Hopefully Tiffany will get a 3rd set. She does not manage a 3rd set. Her disappointment is written all over her face but she can stand proud as she gave everything she had. This pocket dynamo has lots of badminton years to go.

This is Janet's and Tiffany's first international competition. I am sure they have learned lots and will carry their skills to the next level.

We had to wait for the bus as the players wanted to go back for a shower before returning to cheer their team mates.

The 2 girls who are so tired they are sitting in the middle of the pathway to the stadium

First day of competition

Dear friends and readers

Tyzton is the first  Aus player to take the stage. He trails at 6/11 against the Singapore player Glenn Ang. Tyz is now at 14/8 and needs to catch up. He gets to 10/15.  He loses 3 pts in a row to get to 10/18. He gets 4 pts in a row to 19/14. He gets to 15/19.  He hits to the net to get to 15 and then 16 at game pt. He loses at 21/16.

The Australian contingent is cheering his every point won.

He needs to find the courage to get the 2nd set. He gets an early lead in the 2nd set.


Singapore gets to 3/4. Tyz gets a point. He needs to focus at 6/3. Singapore draws at 6 all and then takes the lead. Singapore gets to 10/7. He is now trailing at 15/10. He gets back 1 pt with a drop and then another. He smashes a weak return to get to 13/15.

He still trails by 3 pts.

He gets to 15/16.  He draws at 16 all.  He flukes a shot to lead at 18/16.

He crafts a great set and then hits out. What a waste. Singapore does a good net and they are drawn again. Tyz takes the lead and then they draw.  He gets to a game point. They then draw 20 all.

He hits out but get back to deuce.

He takes the lead again. He deuces after a cross drop and a smash that went out.

He takes the lead again before he gets the 2nd set.

Tyz gets to 11 first in the 3rd set but it is close.  He is now trailing 17/14 after a few bad mistakes.

He loses  at 21/14.

He now needs to concentrate on his doubles.


Huai Dong is now playing. He has a young and shorter opponent named Ray Ng from Penang.  He leads at 8/6 and then gets to 11 first.  Ng is fighting back at 9/11 but HD gets back 2 pts. HD gets to 19/12. He wins the first set at 20/12 easily.  

Ray is still hanging in but HD is now leading 5/4.

The lead jumps to 8/4 for HD. HD then loses 2 pts to a retain a 8/6 lead.

Ray gets a point to stay close at 8/9.

HD gets to 11/8 first. He then leads at 13/9 but Ray gets a pt back.

HD extends the lead to 16/10 and then 17/10 to get closer to winning his first international match. HD gets to match point 13 before closing the game at 21/14. That was an easy win for HD.

Xiang is next and he is playing a Singaporean named Chuang Jin Lei. The other player is much older and taller than Xiang. Xiang gives everything keeping close point for point. However, he runs out of luck and steam and loses the first set  at 21/16.

In the 2nd set he trails at 6/0 love before getting a point. He gets to 5/9 after a good drop.  Singapore gets to 11 /6 first.

The other players is  proving too strong for Tiny Xiang.

He now trails 13/7. He fights and get a point back but now trails at 17/8.

The Singapore player gets to 18/10. Brave Xiang is doing as much as he can but the onslaught from the bigger player continues. Xiang is not giving up. He has played stronger and bigger players and triumphed. However today was not his day and he went down 21/15.

The team is back at the hotel resting after a hot and difficult day at the courts.

There will be more games this afternoon.

Li-Ning Singapore Youth International Series 2012

Dear friends and readers,

Welcome to the Li-Ning Singapore Youth International Series 2012 which is of course being held at Singapore. Singapore is my home town.

I have spoken to Kanny Lai , the manager of the National team and Nick Kidd for their blessing to blog about the event. Have to check with Laars later.  This will help the parents of the players who have not been able to attend to watch their child play in the competition.

This is an exciting event for many of the players as most of them have never taken part in an international event. Most of the players have also never been to Singapore.

The players include:

Gavin Ho from Victoria
Amos Yi and Jazton Tan from WA
Huai Dong and Justin Lee from NSW
Tyzton and Ying Xiang Lin from WA

Jennifer Tam, Tiffany Ho and Janet Son from NSW
Alice Wu and Joy Lai from Vic.
Phing Teo from WA

Good luck to all the players.

I was told by my son Tyzton that one of the players asked if my wife Annie was going to cook for the team when the player found out Annie and I were coming along for the event. Sorry, there will be no cooking here to feed the players. Singapore is famous for their hawker food. I will be loading lots of photos for the parents to see what their child will be up to.

The players stretching at their first group training

Nick the coach making sure everyone is stretching

The players enjoying a fruit break under the supervision of Kanny Lai the team  manageress

Watermelon to cool the girls after their  hard workout

Action shot of Huai Dong or is it Tyzton

The boys pranking in the pool

Xiang and Justin who are too tired to get into the pool

Joy and Alice Wu in their Aus jersey as they have played for Australia. Janet in her NSW jersey. She will be looking forward to the honour of donning her first Aus jersey

The boys finding out who is the strongest

For parents who are not familiar with the tournament, information regarding who the players are competing against and their times can be found at http://badmintonasia.org/events/year-2012/november/li-ning-singapore-youth-international-series-2012/

The boys having their lunch at a typical hawker centre in Singapore

The girls tucking into their lunch

There is going to be a training session this evening at 8 pm. The players will be going to the New Singapore Badminton Hall located at Geylang.

I was just checking the internet last week and found out that the historic badminton hall that was located at Guillemard Rd has now been converted to a prawn fishing farm. That is the sort of changes you see in Singapore.

Will keep everyone posted.

The team had dinner early at 5 30 pm today. The players must be getting used to the Singapore food style.

After dinner, there was a surprise birthday cake for Xiang who has just turned 13 today.

Annie had arranged a surprise birthday cake for him. It was a great surprise for him.

Click below for the link to his birthday video:

http://www.magisto.com/video/agJGZAlVQGIKDUBm

He was too shy to say a word to his mum.

Xiang cutting his birthday cake.

Players at the hotel lobby waiting for the coach

The girls discussing tactics

The players had their first session at the hall at Geylang. I had to leave to have dinner with an old Singapore friend. Annie was left with the ipad but unfortunately she did not take any photos.

I will have to speak to Simon Lai to grab some photos from him.

 

Glenn, Nick and myself

After the training, Nick, Glen Warfe the National Junior Development Manager and I went for supper. Lasse was too tired after just arriving in Singapore. Glenn was good enough to say that he would link the blog to BA's website. That is great news as it gives the players more exposure. That will always help when we speak to sponsors.

Anyway, Tyzton will be the first player to play tomorrow against a Singaporean player. I did not tell him that his paternal grandmum, uncle and cousins might turn up to watch him play for Australia tomorrow.

So watch out for updates through the day.