SYH 2010 Photos!!

Check out some of the photos of SYH 2010 at the SYH2010 facebook group, or just simply go to the following link to view the photos - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=234536487619

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Overall results!

SINGAPORE 1^ST YOUTH HANDBALL TOURNAMENT 2010

Final Ranking

Girl’s Team

Boy’s Team Best Sportsmanship awarded to only one of either girl’s or boy’s player.

Results
Girls

Boys

Session 6 Match 12 Report

Match 12: Boys SINGAPORE vs HONG KONG

Thursday, January 28, 2010 – The last game of the tournament proved to be an exciting finale. Despite having cemented their positions prior to the match, Singapore (3^rd) and Hong Kong (2^nd) nevertheless put up a scintillating display with aggression.

Singapore got off to a good start, hitting the post once and forcing a save from the goalkeeper within the first minute. However, it was Hong Kong who drew first blood through Yuen Kong Ho, who would end up as Hong Kong’s top scorer with 9 goals. A clever fake confused the Singapore defence, and he quickly guided the ball into the top right corner.

Both teams suffered a slow spell soon after, and were equally guilty of wasting precious chances that came few and far between in the early stages of the match.

Hong Kong gradually settled into the momentum, whose effective coordination soon became apparent as they raced to a 5-1 lead. Tay Ze Jun Wilmer then contributed both the first and third goal against Hong Kong and pushed Singapore back to 6-3.

It was however a downhill game for Singapore from the 8^th minute, as the players suffered a lack of concentration, which was evident by the high frequency of misplaced passes and defensive mistakes. By the 22^nd minute, Hong Kong had taken advantage of this to enjoy a 15-2 run which extended her lead to 17 goals, with the score standing at 23-6. Hong Kong’s captain, Lau Wang Kei, was the catalyst for this score surge with his incisive bursts, often splitting the defence apart, allowing his teammates to score.

Hong Kong called a timeout in the 24^th minute, and Team Singapore halted their momentum soon after. The disparity was no longer apparent as both teams fought tooth and nail with great spirit. Singapore’s Captain, Tham Kei Nam Johner, had the last say as he scored just before half time to push Singapore’s score into double digits to end the first half at 28-10.

After the break, Team Singapore evidently returned with much vigour and confidence. Swift and purposeful, they wore down the Hong Kong defence, taking each and every opportunity with vengeance. Defence was tight, and Singapore’s goalkeeper was especially effective as he made several superb reflex saves to deny his opponents, drawing cheers of exhilaration from the Singapore fans. Led by Singapore’s top scorer Vinoth Arun, this rewarded Singapore with an 8-3 run to pull the score to 31-18.

Unfortunately, an illegal substitution by Team Singapore disrupted her plans as they were reduced to 6 men on the court. This allowed Team Hong Kong to regain her composure, which cruelly exposed the thin defence with brilliant wave attacks and crossovers to push the score up to 41-20. Hong Kong wingers were also especially deadly with their quick breaks; racing to the midcourt after each Singapore attempt often enabled Hong Kong a 2-on-1 attack that left the Singapore goalkeeper with no chance.

In particular, a creative manoeuvre from the left wing successfully set up Lau Wang Kei twice. The left wingman made identical forays deep into the left wing and floated a ball to the centre after faking a shot. Hong Kong’s Captain then broke through, caught the ball in mid air and slammed it into the net.

Towards the end of the match however, fatigue soon set in for both teams, which was marked by slower pace and a lack of aggression. Despite this, Singapore displayed unwavering determination to score the last 2 goals of the game, but unfortunately it was not enough as the game ended 44-24 in Hong Kong’s favour.

Session 6 Match 11 Report

Match 11: Girls HONG KONG vs SINGAPORE
Thursday, January 28, 2010Singapore girls youth handball team played her final game in Singapore’s First Youth Handball Tournament 2010 on 28 January 2010 at Suntec International Convention Center. Facing Hong Kong for a second time, Singapore girls team knew that they had the second chance to put on a good show having lost their first game against Hong Kong 10 : 28. In the first game of Singapore versus Hong Kong, the top scorers were from Hong Kong, namely Yiu Hei Yan being the top scorer of the game with 7 goals, followed by Leung Sin Ying 6 goals and Wong Wing Tung 5 goals. Hei Yan and Sin Ying were part of the starting line-up in this game. After the souvenir exchange by the captains, the game started and was off to a smooth start for Singapore with Clarissa Yap Mei Xing scoring the first goal. Sin Ying and Cheung Mei Ngo from Hong Kong formed a perfect partnership on court. Their offensive duo play was dominant and, at one time, was shredding the defence walls for Singapore. Sin Ying read the game well and displayed her good situation awareness on court when she created and assisted in a long break which was eventually converted by Mei Ngo.Chan Kam Ling, captain of Hong Kong girls team, came onto court in the 2nd half in lemon yellow jersey and took on the role of a goalkeeper. Hong Kong, despite having a big advantage in the scoreline, leading by 17 goals, continued to take the game seriously and put up a strong offence. 5 minutes into the 2nd half saw more players being substituted onto the court for Hong Kong featuring less played players 3, 8 and 16. Singapore displayed lesser set-plays and Sng Xin Hui Jamie from Singapore was given a 2-min suspension in the 9th minute for excessive grabbing, leaving Singapore with 5 men to counter Hong Kong’s offence. Many a time, Singapore’s possession was lost through poor passing with or without direct pressure from opponents. Hong Kong on the other hand tend to have more individual shooting than set-plays. Chong Jia Min, Esther, from Singapore, was awarded a 7-m penalty throw when Leung Sin Ying was called for a foul. However, the golden opportunity to put another point on Singapore’s scoreboard fell through when Esther missed the penalty throw. Just as Singapore went back to the full team 7-men strength, Teo Wee Shiuan was slapped with a 2-min suspension, putting Singapore in a number disadvantage again. While playing one man short, Hong Kong’s left wing Chan Wai Kam made an opportunistic break on the wing and took a shot on Singapore’s goal but was brilliantly saved by Singapore’s goalkeeper Ho Min Pei through good positioning and quick reflexes in the 13th minute. Grace Ong sprinted onto court for SG once the 2min-suspension was lifted. Kwok Pum Lok created pivot play for Hong Kong which caused much disruptions in Singapore’s defence line. Hui Wai Yee scored her 2nd goal of the game to clinch HK’s 26th point in the 18th minute with much ease having no defenders on her trail. Singapore’s goalkeeper played brilliantly in the 2nd half denying Hong Kong of a larger gap in goals with multiple nimble leg saves and high level of alertness. Hong Kong’s Chan Kam Ling, guarding the goalmouth for Hong Kong, was strong in her goal throw which created several opportunities for fast breaks for Hong Kong’s Hui Wai Yee and Kwok Pum Lok. Singapore’s Ong Shi Ya Grace was once again slapped with a 2-min suspension for excessive grabbing and allowed Hui Wai Yee to score a 7-m penalty throw in the 21st minute. Hong Kong’s coach called for a timeout in the 22nd minute.As the game continued into its 24th minute, Singapore was still kept at bay without much chance of a shot on goal, maintaining the 6 goals for Singapore while Hong Kong had passed the big 3 mark with 30 goals. Hui Wai Yee scored a 7-m penalty in the 26th minute for Hong Kong. Singapore’s goal drought was gloriously salvaged by a beautiful move by Chung Kayan with a left hand shot on the far side of the goal. Singapore called for a time-out in the 27th minute which proved to be a strategic move as Singapore re-entered the court and scoring shortly by Tan Bee Leng. Chung Kayan had a good attempt on the right wing shot but went just a bit too far. Hong Kong’s Kwok Pum Lok’s mis-pass gave SG a last opportunity to score but SG had no luck in converting. The final whistle was blown at the 30th minute in the 2nd half with Hong Kong taking a 2nd win over Singapore at a score of 33 (Hong Kong) : 8 (Singapore).
By Janelle Koh

Session 4 Match 7 Report

Match 7: Girls SINGAPORE vs HONG KONG

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 – Coming out of a loss against Taipei last night, led by Ong Shi Ya Grace, the Singapore girls looked hungry for their first win in the Singapore Youth Handball Tournament against the Hong Kong girls team.

The Hong Kong girls started the period aggressively. They tested the defence of the Singapore team, made frequent penetrations and challenged the Singapore goalkeeper on 5 consecutive attempts. However, the shot attempts proved to be futile as the Singapore goalkeeper managed to stop the ball in its track each time. In the 2^nd minute, following a successfully executed wave attack, the Hong Kong team was the first to light up the scoreboard, with Wong Wing Tung putting the ball in between the legs of the Singapore goalkeeper with deadly accuracy. the Singapore team focused their attacks on the right but were caught by Hong Kong’s stifling defence. Finally, a steal led to a fast break by Tan Bee Leng, but she failed to convert it for Team Singapore.

The Hong Kong team kept the pressure on with tough defence, forcing turnovers and bad passes. They then went on a 5-0 run led by Wong Wing Tung and Leung Sin Ying.

In the 7^th minute, Yap Mei Xing hurled a thunderous shot at the goal which rebounded off the Hong Kong’s keeper. Grace Ong swiftly chased down the loose ball and the Singapore captain subsequently slammed a goal effortlessly past the scrambling Hong Kong goalkeeper. Singapore then looked to start their counter attack on the Hong Kong team. They had several fast break opportunities but their transition attacks were often marred with misplaced passes.

Not long after, Hong Kong’s commanding centre back, Mak Wing Tung, got injured in a defensive effort to stop Singapore’s offense. Hong Kong then took on a more aggressive approach, resulting in shot that landed in the deep corners. Nearing the 18^th minute, Team Singapore’s Teo Yan Ling responded with a ferocious shot down the middle stretch. Riding on renewed confidence, they began a series of vigourous attacks. Tan Bee Leng’s started this run with a 9m attempt that went just wide of the goal. Moments later, off a superb pass from Teo Yan Ling, Chung Kayan broke free of the defence, and while she failed to score, Tan Bee Leng was there for the rebound and finished the swift move. Minutes later, Yee Chern Hwee threaded a flawless pass to Teo Yan Ling for the fastbreak score as the crowd in the stadium erupted.

Hong Kong reacted and appeared to have a change in tactics. Their well-coordinated wave attacks managed to expose several gaps in the flanks, which proved too much for Team Singapore as they went into the break 4-15.

Upon its return, Team Singapore appeared more composed and led a more organised and well balanced offence. Their change in tactics clearly exploited the loopholes in the flanks as they quickly scored from the deep corner. With this, Team Singapore managed to stay in the game behind their opponents. The substitution of Teo Wee Shiuan into the game proved to be an invaluable decision as she handed an assist to Sng Xin Hui shortly after.

However, the return of centre Mak Wing Tung in the 2^nd period boosted the Hong Kong team’s morale, and personally made various contributions, with several assists, screens and goals to hold off Team Singapore’s rally.

A 7m penalty goal by Leung Sin Ying in the 20^th minute forced a timeout for the Singapore as they tried to strategise a last push for victory. Both teams went head to head as they tried to beat down their opponents. Tan Bee Leng fired in a 9m goal into the top left corner to shorten the deficit but their weary legs from last night’s match with the physically dominant Taipei Team were dragging them down in the closing periods of the match. Team Hong Kong capitalised on that and ignited their pace to put themselves up 9-23. In the final minutes of the game, team captain Grace Ong fired in a crowd pleaser from the left flank of the match to put Singapore up in double digits. Eventually, the Hong Kong girls rallied past Team Singapore 24-10 as they left Singapore looking for their first win of the tournament.

Session 5 Match 9 Report

Match 9: Girls CHINESE TAIPEI vs SINGAPORE

Thursday, January 28, 2010 – It was just two short days ago that these two teams had met each other on the court. Suffering a previous defeat by Chinese Taipei in their last match, Team Singapore looked set to perform better in what could be considered a re-match in the 2^nd leg of the 1^st Youth Handball Tournament 2010. By the end of the 2 thirty-minute halves, it seemed as though Singapore’s female youth team had achieved some of what they had set out to do. They managed to reduce the score difference of their last match from 10-43 to 11-38.

Being the third and final day of the tournament, the stats were now in and with knowledge of the Tournament’s top scoring female being a member of Chinese Taipei’s team; it looked as if Team Singapore had little choice but to be prepared to brave the storm of smashes and scores that would soon come their way. Even with that possibility looming in front of them, Singapore came away with a great start. Within the first thirty seconds of the game, Singapore’s Esther Chong took advantage of the opponents’ initial flat-footedness to score the first point of the match. However, aggression was clearly in the air as top female scorer of the Tournament, Wang Yu-Fen, made a quick getaway at the changeover to even the score at 1-1.

It was apparent throughout the entire first half of the match that the Singapore players had a problem connecting their passes at the most crucial moments, resulting in Chinese Taipei’s consistent robbing them of possession. While Team Singapore’s goalkeeper, Neo Su Min had started off alert and ever-ready to fend off the sharp attacks by the strong opposition, it soon boiled down to raw stats and probability. Every failed connection on Singapore’s side had greatly increased the likelihood that Wang or any of her other competent teammates would sneak a break to win yet another point for their team. Neo’s efforts to keep the score tight for her team became evidently deficient as the Taiwanese powerhouses quite easily ploughed their way through the first line of defence, and later, her as well.

Unlike the 1^st Leg of the Tournament, Chinese Taipei looked a lot surer of their skills and game play right from the beginning. The first few minutes of the match witnessed several impressive scores by the likes of Wang, Shin Wei Ju and Huang Wen Yu. By the eighth minute, the former had already begun pulling away with a 5-point lead. At one point in the match, a yellow card had been issued to Chinese Taipei, awarding Singapore’s Chung Kayan the 7-metre throw. It was a golden opportunity for the Singapore team to narrow the score line. Unfortunately, nerves must have gotten the better of Chung when she released a somewhat effete throw at the Taiwanese goalkeeper, who simply nestled the ball into her hands.

Towards the end of the first half, the Taiwanese had gained full momentum. Each goal attack had become harder and harder to defend, each connecting phase leading to a point had become both effortless and flawless, and each shot into the net had become sharper and more accurate as the minutes went by. So rare was the occasion that either Wang or Huang had taken a shot only to have it blocked by the now dazed goalkeeper, or even the goalpost. The last few minutes before the half-time break saw Chinese Taipei’s Goh Fu Mei come away with three consecutive points for her team by giving a show of unpredictability as well as Shin Wei Ju making a free dash down the flank only to smash the ball so far into the net awing the spectators with her strength and accuracy.

Keeping the unyielding faith in their own abilities, Team Singapore’s girls, Jamie Sng and Clarissa Yap helped give Singapore their second and third scores respectively by capitalizing on the crevices left unmarked by the Taiwanese. By the end of the first half, the score was 21-3, with Chinese Taipei in a comfortable lead.

After the break, Singapore’s girls looked like they had finally warmed up and were ready to take on Chinese Taipei. Again, Singapore was off to a good start, with new goalkeeper, Ho Min Pei soaking the hits to prevent the Taiwanese from scoring more points than they already did. Team Singapore surely looked like they had a better time in the second half compared to the first. It was in the second half that Esther Chong managed to regain possession after a changeover to come away on her own from a small opening in the defence. With her nippy, long strides, Esther made her way to the D. Now just 1-to-1 with the goalkeeper who was planted firmly on the ground with her hands high up in the air, Esther took a sharp-angled shot on the goalkeeper’s inside right to hit the back of the net. Top scorer for Singapore’s team, Leia Teo, also found an opportunity to score two more points for the team in this next half of the match. It seemed as though every member was now raring to have a go at the opposition goalkeeper. At one point in the game, the Taiwanese goalkeeper almost got away with a near-miss as Singapore’s Grace Ong smashed the ball into the corner of the former’s foot, preventing Singapore climb in terms of points.

Even with the huge lead gained in the previous half, the Chinese Taipei girls did not let up. Within the first ten minutes of the second-half, they had very quickly found themselves in an even steadier position with a 19-point lead. At no point in time today did the Taiwanese show any sign of being tired. It was only during the final four minutes that it seemed as though fatigue had finally set in for the latter and Team Singapore’s Chung Kayan capitalized on the momentary lapse in concentration to score two opportunistic points for her team. The final score of the match stands at 38-11, with Chinese Taipei winning their second game against Team Singapore.

Written by: Nadine Wu

Photos taken by: Janelle Koh