So, the Leicestershire fixtures meeting went relatively well, even if it did run a little longer than I would have liked.
Just got a first draft of the calendar completed, and waiting for the Rugby league meeting on the 19th.
Wow... where did the summer 'break' go? Come Monday 4th Sept, we are back into the normal season, and what a season it is looking to be!
I've put a fresh face (well, colourscheme and content) on the website, whilst I try to design another one from scratch... hopefully it will arrive before next season!
We've got a whole roster of new captains, literally every team has got a new face in charge, and all of them are eager to earn their colours and out-do their predecessors in the leagues this year.
We have an additional mens team entering the Leicester divisions, and a fresh intake of players to make the most of it's first season.
More members... We have been trying to recrout more players for a while, and we are now starting to see the benefits of the social media and web presence come through.
Last, but not least, is that the uptake in members has finally allowed us to make the jump to feathers shuttles! Something that we have been eyeing up for a couple of years now, and it has finally happened.
Oh, and we have upped our quote in the RDBA Britannic tournament, so are the most represented club there this year!
See you in the season!
Ben C
Another Friday, another pre-pub match, and another change in the lineup... Whilst the core of the team stayed the same, this week saw Becs make a return to the team, and Ben got another call up despite a dubious performance the week before.
The team were playing their penultimate match of the season against Wanlip, to whom Babington is home ground, but haven't posted the best results so far this season; Martin was keen to take a solid victory in this one as the league table is getting close as the season draws to an end, and there are several teams still in the mix, including Trinity if the results fall favourably.
Martin wanted to try a different set of pairings for this match, to give him a bit of foresight into his options for the final match; splitting his normal partnership with Andrea, Sam was moved in to play the 2 levels and then with Tracey in Mixed, Ben and Martin taking the mixed outings with Andrea and Becs respectively.
The first levels saw Martin and Sam take to the court for the mens, and Becs and Tracey for the ladies. Becs and Tracey were exactly true to form, and repeated their usual scorelines for the season, steady shots from steady play, and brought both games home in short order to chalk up a 2-0 lead.
Breaking their normal form, Sam and Martin showed early promise as they managed to land the shuttle over the net and inside the lines with steady consistency, whilst there were a few questionable looks at some line calls, the first game was a comforting win for the men. Even less characteristic was the continuation of form into the second game, and whilst both players seemed to ease off a little, they were able to out-play their opposition and bring back a 2-0 for the scorecard. 4-0 overall.
The second levels went out with the standard set, and again the ladies delivered their 2-0 win back in no time at all, identifying early that one opposing lady was weak at the back, and making the most of it to get on the attack quickly and put the shuttle to rest. The ladies then took a pew for a well deserved breather after seeing the scoreline move to a respectable 6-0 whilst the men finished their levels.
The same story held true for Sam and Ben, playing their own definition of 'safe' badminton, which involves winning most rallies but giving away silly points to keep the game close. Wins to the low teens saw the boys add their 2 to the tally and left the team needing 2 more wins from 10 to take the match.
With each player comfortable that they could beat their opposing numbers, the mixed quickly showed that it was going the same direction as the levels. Whilst there were a few shaky moments early on as the pairs settled in together, the end results were all the same...
2-0 clean sweeps across the board, and an impressive 18-0 overall result. The team are certainly sending the message out that other teams should take notice, because when Trinity get it right, they get it very right.