LM1 kicked off the second half of the season against the only team we lost to the first time around, in potentially a title-deciding clash. A mix-up of pairs was forced by Ian's absence in a friendly the week prior that led to good results, so we stuck with the pair arrangement for the match. A great turn out from Trinity as Daz, Neil, Phil, Khalid & Alex all showed up to support.
Dan & Tom played together for the first time, starting strong by beating their first and second pairs 16-21 21-18 21-10 and 21-16 21-16. Against the third pair they fell behind in the first end 4-12, before coming back to take it 22-20 19-21 21-14.
Ian & Ben were also paired up for the first time. They showed promise at times but lacked a bit of consistency, ultimately losing to the third, second then first pairs 21-18 12-21 19-21, 19-21 14-21 and 19-21 12-21.
Chris & Shaz have played together in matches before for Trinity, but not for LM1 this season. They started strong, beating the second pair 21-17 23-25 21-16, doing well to recollect themselves after the narrow loss in the second end. They then had a back-and-forth battle with the first pair, ultimately losing 21-10 11-21 17-21.
At this point all games were done except for Shaz & Chris vs the third pair, the score was 4-4, and all other players and spectators from both sides could only watch on, on tenterhooks. It was clear that their team knew the importance of the game on court.
Chris & Shaz rose to the challenge, took the game by the neck and started to really dominate. Shaz was smooth and in control of the game, and the opponents couldn't handle Chris' aggression and power when he unleashed it. 21-16 21-7 the final score, by far the biggest win of the night.
So a 5-4 win to Trinity, putting us in a very advantageous position regarding promotion, with 4 matches left, including two Loughborough students' teams...
LM1 Captain Dan
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