Tonight was the penultimate match for the men’s team and the pressure was on to keep the maximum points and unbeaten run this season. So far we are 6 wins out of 6 with a maximum 18 points.
With Cedars playing with plastic shuttles, it was going to be hard for us to adjust. Coupled with the small spaces around the court, it was going to be a tough night for us.
The first match on the scorecards was their first pair against Andy and Tom.
The Cedars’ first pair had an unusual style but they seemed to work together well with lots of communication. With an unusual serve from one of their players, it was going to be tough. The first game went to plan with Andy and Tom too powerful for the opposition and taking the game 21-10. However, the second game didn’t go to plan and they lost it 13-21. However, they re-grouped and didn’t mess around in the third game, convincingly winning 21-9 to take the match.
Next up was their second pairing against Oliver and I. We started off strong with some good points runs. The first game ended 13-21 which spurred us on to be even stronger in the next game. We were on fire and took the game comfortably 21-7 to win the second match of the night.
Third up were their third pair against Kevin and Kenny. This turned out to be a close run match as Kevin and Kenny acclimatised to the plastic shuttles. Our guys took the first game 21-15 but then slipped up on the next game, losing closely 19-21. This seemed to give our guys the spur they needed to take the match. They delivered the final game 21-16 to take the third match of the night.
Fourth match on court saw their second pair take on Andy and Tom. This was a straightforward win for our guys with the match finishing 21-9, 21-13 to us. We were just too strong for them and it gave us the fourth match of the night and a single league point.
Next up saw Oliver and I take on their third pair. We were confident of taking this one as we were starting to get used to the shuttle and the court. We had some great points runs with one service run giving us 10 points on the trot. At the end of the match we’d won both games 21-10, 21-10 to take the fifth match of the night, the league win and 2 league points. More importantly, our unbeaten season was still on track.
Next up on court were Cedars’ first pair against Kevin and Kenny. With a close first game finishing 19-21 in favour of the opposition, it was all eyes on the second game to secure the bonus league point and keep our maximum points score. Unfortunately for us, the Cedars’ pair were too strong and they won the second game 21-13 to take their first win of the night.
It was now down to Andy and Tom to secure the third league point against the opposition’s third pair. It was close to start with but then Andy and Tom pulled out the stops and secured a 21-15, 21-13 win to secure the sixth match win of the night and the bonus league point to keep us on the maximum.
After that it was just playing for pride. Unfortunately for Oliver and I, it meant us taking on their first pair. This proved to be a very close match. The first game went to the opposition by a close margin, 19-21. However, the second game went even closer with us pipping it 21-20 to take it into a decider. Unusually for us, we started to let errors creep into our game and it cost us dearly. We lost the last game 14-21 and with it the match. The score for the night was 6-2 to us with only one left to play.
Last match of the night was Kevin and Kenny against the second pairing from Cedars. This game went according to plan with Kevin and Kenny wrapping up the first game in very quick time, 21-9. Back on court for the second game, the opposition stepped up a bit more but couldn’t overcome our guys. The last game finished 21-14 to us and with it the match.
So, final score of the night was 7-2 to Corinthians and we’re still unbeaten this season, top of the table and on maximum points! Well done lads!
Next match will be in 2 weeks and is our last of the season. It’s also the return game against Cedars which was postponed due to problems at our old Hornchurch venue. Should make for an interesting match as we’ll have the home advantage as well as playing with feather shuttles.
– Ross
