Raffles Institution’s boys show grit in tense final to help school sweep A Div table tennis titles

SINGAPORE – The din from the crowd at Pasir Ris Sports Centre was deafening throughout the tense National School Games boys’ A Division table tennis final on May 19, as Raffles Institution (RI) and Dunman High School were locked at 2-2 in the best-of-five tie.

But with the climactic end in sight, a hush fell as the crowd held their collective breath when RI’s Li Kaijie led Dunman’s Wang Yirong 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 13-12 in the deciding rubber, needing just one more point to clinch the win.

And it was the 17-year-old who showed greater composure with a forehand smash which Yirong failed to return, sparking even louder cheers from the supporters as the players mobbed their hero in celebration of RI’s third consecutive title.

“I just went for it,” said Kaijie. “The moment the ball dropped onto the floor, I looked at my team and said, ‘Come here, we did it!’ That was really just joy that cannot be described.”

Dunman captain Yirong, who was in tears during the post-match interview, said: “My performance today wasn’t really very good and there were times when I had mental fogs, and I just need to apologise to my team…

“While I’m really proud of this team, it’s still very disappointing that we didn’t manage to become the champions because we trained very hard for it, but I guess it’s just not our day.”

The wild celebration was understandable as RI were under the cosh for much of the final, needing to come from the brink of defeat to retain their crown.

Dunman’s Ethan Teo swept past Bjorn Chow 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 in the first singles match to draw first blood, before doubles pair Haw Hong Yu and Chong Phok Kai levelled things up by dispatching Yao Yiwei and Goh Dong Ze 11-4, 11-8, 11-3.

Chan Jing He again put Dunman in front with an 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 13-11 win over Manyong Koh.

Heng Yeow Leng and Basil Yeo then had a chance to clinch the title against RI’s Jedd Kua and Jeremiah Pang in the second doubles.

The Dunman pair, having battled back to level the match at 2-2, led 10-9 in the fifth and final set and needed just one more point.

But it was not to be as Jedd and Jeremiah won the next three points for the 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 win to take the tie to the decider, before Kaijie’s heroics.

RI captain Jeremiah said: “When we were losing, it felt really suffocating and in my head, all I was thinking about was, ‘What if I lose’, and it was really scary.”

Fellow 17-year-old and vice-captain Jedd added: “We played against the same batch (in the B Division final) back in 2024 and we lost it at the time, so we’re really happy that we managed to take revenge on them and finally get the gold medal.”

A dejected Basil said: “I feel very guilty and disappointed in myself… After each point (RI got), I got more and more nervous, but I still was confident and I trusted my partner.”

Added the 17-year-old: “But at the end of the day, it is what it is. But overall I’m still very proud of my team because second place is no easy feat. We just have to move on and work hard for next year.”

His partner Yeow Leng was also apologetic. He said: “I think our emotions got ahead of us. We were overwhelmed and I think Raffles were mentally stronger than us…”

There was more joy for RI as their girls reclaimed the A Division title with a convincing 5-0 win over defending champions Hwa Chong Institution.

Hu Xin Hui downed Tan Qian Ling 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, before doubles pair Liu Manyu and Chu Wangxihan breezed past Justine Ng and Pu Keng Tuan 11-7, 11-8, 13-11.

Naomi Lum then sealed the title with an 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8 win over Megan Lim.

Aleenta Quek and Ang Rae Shyn defeated Charlotte Chew and Jeanne Chong 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, before Eu Kei Yi put the icing on the cake by beating Feliz Neo 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 in the two remaining dead rubbers to add lustre to the score.

RI captain Manyu said: “It’s a really well-deserved win on our side, because last year we faced them and we lost. We are really happy to reclaim our title, so it really does feel like redemption.”