Last night was the Mixed Division 2 fixture at our Hornchurch “home” against Wychelm. It was a rocky start with the venue (yet again) failing to fulfil our booking meaning we started off late without the required 2 courts together. It was also another makeshift team again as myself and David were unable to make the match so Kenny and Tom stepped in.
Despite all of this, Wychelm accepted our apologies and the matches got underway on what was, on paper, going to be a close match.
First up was Penny who was partnered with Kenny against their first pairing. Penny and Kenny took the first game quite comfortably 21-16 but couldn’t keep the momentum up and slipped to a bad defeat 10-21 in the second game. I think this took it’s toll and they couldn’t get back to winning ways against the Wychelm first pairing, eventually losing the third game 16-21.
Second match saw Lisa and Tom (standing in for David) against Wychelm’s second pair. The first game was extremely close with Lisa and Tom snatching it 21-20. The second game was a bit more comfortable for our pair as they seemed to find their rhythm and took the game 21-12 to level the scores 1-1 on the night.
Third up were Lesley and Gary against the opponents’ third pairing. This was a much closer affair with Lesley and Gary nicking the first game 21-20. The second game was just as close but it was Wychelm who nicked this one, again with the score finishing 20-21. So it was down to a third and final decider for the points. Lesley and Gary moved up a gear to take the final game 21-15 to make the scores 2-1 on the night.
Next up on court were Lisa and Tom again, buoyed by their first match triumph. It was business as usual for them as they proved to be a formidable pair against Wychelm’s first pairing. Lisa and Tom took the first game comfortably 21-14 then turned up the heat in the second to take it 21-10 and make the scores 3-1 on the night.
Meanwhile, on the other court, it was Lesley and Gary against the opponents’ second pairing. It was a very close run first game with Wychelm taking the game 19-21. The second game was not so close and unfortunately Lesley and Gary couldn’t manage the fightback they wanted and slipped to a 15-21 loss making the scores 3-2 on the night and shaping up to be a nail-biting finish.
Fresh from a rest between game one and this game (game 6 of the night), Penny and Kenny took to the court determined to score their first match points of the night against Wychelm’s third pairing. The first game was a comfortable win for our first pairing, with the score finishing 21-12. The second game was more of a rout with our pair on top form finishing their opponents off 21-9 to make the scores 4-2 on the night and securing Corinthians a minimum of 1 league point.
Lesley and Gary’s final game saw them take on the first pair from Wychelm. After some good play in the first game, they took the win 21-16 in what seemed a comfortable scoreline. However, Wychelm needed to win the next game to stand a chance of scoring a league point. Unfortunately for us, they took the second game by a whisker, 19-21 to take it to a decider. So, down to the final game for Lesley and Gary (and their 8th of the night!). A win for us secures the league win and 2 points. A win for the opposition takes things to the wire. Unfortunately for us, Wychelm took the win 16-21 to take the points and make the scores 4-3 on the night with 2 matches to play.
Next up on court for the penultimate match of the night was Penny and Kenny against Wychelm’s second pairing. This time our number one pairing couldn’t match the opposition and slipped to a 12-21, 16-21 loss making the scores 4-4 on the night and securing Wychelm a minimum of 1 league point with only 1 match left to play to decide the remaining league point!
Step up the dynamic duo of Lisa and Tom who seemed to be on fire. They faced the third pair from Wychelm and confidence was high given our 1st and 3rd pair had managed to beat them. The first game finished with a comfortable 21-15 win for Lisa and Tom leaving just one more game win to take the points. Lisa and Tom stepped up another gear and secured the second league point for Corinthians by taking the game 21-13 making it a 5-4 win to Corinthians.
Well done all who took part and special thanks to Kenny and Tom for filling in. The league table on our website is no updated and we have moved up a place into second in the league with only 2 matches left to play this season. We are tied on points with Wychelm who have a match in hand and we are only 2 points behind leaders United Shuttlers. It’s shaping up to be a close season this year!
– Ross
