By George Liley
York’s badminton 1sts suffered a heavy loss to Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie 2nds yesterday afternoon, despite some closely contested games. On another day the score may have been narrower, however Leeds Met strolled to a comfortable 7-1 victory over a York side clearly struggling under the weight of injuries.
York flew out of the blocks, with James Hor taking a straight sets victory in the first singles match. After a convincing 21-12 victory in the first set, Hor appeared to lose concentration and had to battle hard to find the win. A nail biting finish saw Hor take the set 22-20, exhibiting some fine reactions at the net and deft touches to put his opponent away. York’s injury woes led to the emergence of B team player James Somerside, who struggled against a talented opponent, losing his singles match 3-21, 8-21 as Leeds Met levelled the fixture.
The doubles matches fared no better for the home side as they failed to muster form against the league leaders. However Tim Green and Ricky Kanabor began brightly, working well together to take the first set 21-19. Kanabor was able to pick his shots at the net, whilst Green’s smashes were able to find success and break through the Leeds Met defence. The partnership soon began to fade though, and the lack of practice and understanding within the York doubles side led to flaws surfacing in their play. The visitors claimed a comfortable 8-21 set, followed by a 15-21 victory to clinch the game.
The second doubles match witnessed a tight contest that could have swung either way. Baillie Watterson and captain James Davies pulled off some fine shots, with captain Davies finding his range particularly in the second set. Despite conceding the first set 17-21, the pair were able to level with 21-15. In a gripping third set, Watterson was unable to return the smashes of Leeds Met and the travellers powered to a 21-16 victory to put themselves 3-1 up, plunging a dagger into York hopes.
The second half of games witnessed a complete York collapse. Despite Hor’s sparkling performance in his first match, he wilted under the skill of his second opponent, exhibiting visible frustration after conceding several unforced errors. Hor’s loss in straight sets 19-21, 10-21 was followed up by another loss by Somerside, who despite improving on his earlier performance lost a close first set 19-21, and the second 10-21.
[Green and Kanabor struggled in their second doubles match, as the pair failed to form an effective partnership. The duo often left gaping holes in the court from which Leeds Met could mount an attack, and the result led to a one-sided first set, with Leeds strolling to a 21-7 victory.
The second set offered some hope for the York side, as Green and Kanabor found rhythm and were able to put Leeds on the defensive. A spirited 21-12 victory offered a glimmer of possibility, yet this was duely crushed with a 21-15 win for the visitors. Watterson and Davies came out looking for revenge, and found success with a 21-19 victory in the first set. Watterson found range and Davies was able to mix up his shots, forcing Leeds Met around the court. However, the quality of the travellers shone through and they soon levelled the match with a 21-12 set, followed by a gripping final set that saw Leeds Met creep over the line with a 21-23 victory, beating York 7-1 overall.
Though the result suggests a drubbing, York by no means embarrassed themselves yesterday. Hor’s performance in the first game offers promise for the season ahead, and at times the doubles partnerships produced some fine play. It was always going to be a difficult game, with Leeds Met having the pick of over 50 top players in their badminton ranks and access to 24-hour courts.
Captain James Davies said: “Today was mostly about damage limitation, however with many home games to come and our stronger players returning, we should be able to stay in contention for the league.” Injuries have forced the York doubles partnerships to change frequently, which has lead to inexperienced pairings. However, with their stronger players set to return, York can look with spirited optimism at the effort exhibited against Leeds Met, and must now concentrate on their all important upcoming home fixtures.