Badminton 1sts
Time: Friday 14.00
Location: Main Hall
Points: York 8
As the first full day of Roses competition relentlessly rumbled on, York’s men crushed any possible hopes Lancaster may have harboured for gaining points from the badminton fixtures with a resounding 8-1 win. This, accompanied with the overwhelming performance by the mixed team earlier in the day, seems to have proved which side of the Pennines the badminton talent lies.
The team, playing with confidence and verve, seemed to cruise to the victory causing captain Jonty Hiley to call the opposition “absolute jokers.” Whether he was referring to the good natured atmosphere within the main hall is unknown, but York’s attitude, especially that of Hiley and partner Richy Konabar who dominated throughout their rubbers, did seem to make their Lancastrian counterparts look like clowns.
Fortunately for the Red Rose, a whitewash was averted due to their 1st team defeating York’s 2nd pair, Paddy Clarke and Will Wiseman, in a very tense encounter. York’s other deadly duo, Rob Walker and Justin Rich, were surprisingly strong for a 3rds team, overcoming all who stood in their path. In the crucial fourth rubber of the tie, they took the final end 23-21, an unforced error by Lancastrian Martin Cook allowing them to snatch victory. This performance ensured Lancaster would have to win every rubber from then on, something the clearly demoralised team could not bring themselves to do.
Indeed when they did win their single game the relief was almost palpable, with the crowd’s cheers louder than had been heard all morning. However Clarke and Wiseman’s stutter was to prove the exception and not the rule as York stepped up their game once again, highlighted by Hiley and Konabar’s outstanding win against Greg Turtle and Martin Cook in which they only dropped 15 points.
The player’s post match reaction was as definite as the performance itself. Key player Rob Walker insisted “We dominated from start to finish. It is nice to make up for last years disappointing performance.” Hiley, obviously proud of his players, in what was more of a training session than a competitive fixture, could only take positives from the affair, saying: “This performance caps off a good season for us.”
Jack Kennedy
