La Salle boy shows he's true Jing Ying
There was double delight for Kenneth Chiu Chun-hei at the All-Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Table Tennis Tournament finals held at Tsuen Wan West Sports Centre. The student from La Salle College was the most outstanding player, winning the boys' singles and doubles titles on Sunday.
This was the first time Kenneth had won a Jing Ying final at secondary school level. Coming into the Jing Ying competition, he was out of form, having lost in the quarter-finals of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Many did not expect him to do well but he proved his critics wrong with a fine performance.
In the doubles final, Kenneth and his teammate Lam Siu-hang beat Hung Wah-tak and Hung Ka-tak from Ying Wa College 3-2 in a hard-fought match.
'Before this tournament, I was under a lot of pressure because I was the top U18 player in town,' Kenneth said.
'I was patient during the match since I had to bring Lam Siu-hang into the game. The Hung brothers showed good co-operation while I had played with Siu-hang just a few times.'
Kenneth had a much easier time in the boys' singles final, defeating Ken Mak King-ho of CCC Kwei Wah Shan College 3-1.
In the first set, Kenneth's smashes were too much for Ken to handle, as he won 13-11. Kenneth took the second set, too, 11-3, before Ken mounted a fightback, winning the third 11-8. However, Kenneth was unstoppable in the fourth and closed out the set - and match - 11-7.
Ng Ka-yee and Ng Ka-fung, the sisters from The Chinese Foundation Secondary School, won the girls' doubles crown again. 'I and my elder sister are delighted to claim victory today and bring our fourth consecutive doubles title home,' said Ng Ka-yee.
In the girls' singles final, Natalie Lam Yee-lok of Holy Family Canossian College outplayed former champion Ng Ka-yee in straight sets, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9. 'I was well-prepared for this match and didn't feel nervous. This is my first [Jing Ying] title and I hope I can keep up my good work in the upcoming Asian Schools Table Tennis Championships,' said Natalie.
Kenneth and Natalie will join the 12-member Hong Kong team at the 2010 Asian Schools Table Tennis Championships to be held in Vietnam next month.
