Bloodied knee no issue for HCI pair, who help reclaim B Division table tennis title

SINGAPORE – For a year table tennis duo John Ang and Rayner Young waited, doubling down on training during the off-season in a bid to prove themselves on court again.

The Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) pair finally got to do that on April 9, when they beat Raffles Institution’s (RI) Jaden Koh and Kaeden Seow to help their school reclaim the National School Games (NSG) B Division boys’ title that they last won in 2023.

The loud cheers that greeted them as they notched the 3-2 victory was a stark contrast to the disappointment they felt in 2025, when they were thrashed 3-0 by RI in the second doubles. Their rivals eventually claimed the title 3-2.

A comeback bid for the 2026 season saw the team training every day in the months leading up to the rematch, and HCI were rewarded on April 9 at the Pasir Ris Sports Centre.

This time, John and Rayner were fielded for the first doubles match – and they delivered an unexpected victory.

Rayner said: “It was still the same expectations on us and there was definitely pressure, but I feel that being the first doubles allowed us to perform as well.”

John added: “No matter what doubles you play, there’s definitely going to be some pressure.

“But, as long as you have some supporters, your classmates come down and cheer for you, you’ll definitely feel that the pressure being released off you.

“Now that we won, it’s really a great feeling, and we hope that we can also win again next year.”

Hwa Chong struck the first blow after Lian Yunhao swept past Rafael Lim 3-0 (13-11, 11-6, 11-6) in the first singles.

Up stepped John and Rayner, who surged to a 2-0 lead before drama ensued, as John slipped and scraped his knee while stretching to reach a ball – a timeout had to be called for him to wash off the blood.

With the duo’s rhythm in check, Jaden and Kaeden clawed back to 2-2 but the HCI players held on to win 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-6.

RI then pulled one back through captain Ang Ray Tze, who beat Sean Chua 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-7).

But Lyon Zhu and Sun Qicheng sealed the title for HCI, beating Tham Kea Noe and Owen Lim 3-1 (11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8) in the second doubles.

Zhang Xin Ran added the cherry on the cake with a 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-8) win in the dead rubber against Justin Tang.

Hwa Chong coach Darren Loy said: “The boys did well in general. I think that the overall ability our team has is slightly better than the opponent’s team, but we expected a very tough match.

“The boys were in Secondary 3 last year, so they were inexperienced. But this year they are a year older and more composed on court, so they won two very crucial points (at the start) – key matches that gave us the victory today.”

Noting that the team were carrying some injuries, Ray Tze said: “It was quite hard but we all tried our best... we could have done better but it is what it is, and we put up a good fight.”

In the girls’ final, Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) (RGS) completed their three-peat after defeating Nanyang Girls’ High School 4-1.

Like their male counterparts, RGS started strong and claimed the first two games courtesy of Chong Zi Sian’s 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-9) win over Xu Yuqing, and doubles pair Chau Shu Han and Vanessa Ye edging Alyssa Quek and Pu Keng Jeong 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-2).

Nanyang pulled one back through chopper Giselle Chin as she came from behind twice to see off Lyann Chiang 3-2 (6-11, 14-12, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9).

Second doubles pair Xu Xin Ran and Allysha Tan then beat Dong Yi Yi and Jade Wong 3-1 (11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3) to retain their title, while Kayleigh Ng rounded off the win with a 3-2 (7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-13, 11-6) victory over Valerie Kng.

RGS captain Chong Zi Sian said: “Although last year we won 5-0, every match was really close. This year, because of other factors, we can’t really ensure that every year would be 5-0.

“Our opponents are stronger too, so we just feel very happy to have won.”

Despite her team’s loss, Giselle said: “It’s a very good experience… Last year I lost 3-0 but this year I managed to win 3-2, and it is a nice ending to my Secondary 4 NSG journey.”