Men’s Badminton: York 5-3 Sunderland
A fast-paced and closely contested encounter between York As and Sunderland As ended with York clinching the deciding game to start the season with a 5-3 win.
York 2nd Doubles convincingly overcame Sunderland 2nd 21-5 21-8 to complete a 4-0 whitewash in the doubles games that saw York through to the victory. Their superior strength in depth made up for the lack of any stand-out singles performance and ultimately proved the difference.
The York team went into the fixture full of confidence, doubles player Ricky Kanabar stating that “you can’t go into a match thinking anything other than that you are going to win”.
On first viewing, the York team did seem more impressive, with their matching 1st team kits. In comparison, the Sunderland outfit looked fairly ragged in mismatched kits. While kits may not seem like much, they contribute towards a sense of being in a team, and the organisation that goes with it.
The match began with simultaneous singles matches on courts 1 and 2 in the main sports hall. York’s Duy Hung secured a 21-15 21-18 victory in the opening game to give York the perfect start. Duy’s brand of no-holds-barred, throw-yourself-around-the-court badminton certainly got the (admittedly small) crowd behind him, while also earning him a few bruises from particularly nasty falls.
Unfortunately, York captain Rob Walker was unable to capitalise, losing his game by 2 sets to 1, citing a lack of fitness after winning the first set in dramatic fashion 23-21, though it took the expertise of Sunderland captain David Shariff to exploit it.
However, York’s superior doubles play soon saw them take a 3-1 lead in the match, as they displayed excellent teamwork and touch play, using their height advantage to deliver repeated unreturnable smashes against their smaller opponents. Both York teams showed superior speed around the court, working their opponents around, before delivering the unreturnable shot.
Sunderland once again pulled level through consecutive singles victories, with Walker, looking increasingly fatigued, going down again and the dynamic Duy defeated by the court control of Shariff, who rarely strayed far from the base.
The stage was then set for the final doubles showdown. However, Sunderland failed to put up much resistance, with their 2nd doubles team not even reaching double figures in either set, handing the match to York. The Sunderland 1st doubles team put up more of a fight than they had done in their first game, but were still no match for York’s pair. Walker admitted he was “pleased” with the win and attributed the victory to “a solid doubles performance”, but admitted there was “work to be done on singles”.
Shariff, the stand-out singles performer, stated that while he was happy with his own play, he was “annoyed” at his doubles pairs. “We haven’t had a good doubles pairing in three years. Plus, we are missing our best doubles player, while York have good strength across the board”, he explained.
This strength in depth was further highlighted as York cantered to a 6-2 victory in the B’s match, also against Sunderland, completing a great day for York on the badminton courts.
