Adding insult to injury, we were greeted with just about as strong a side as Adeyfield could turn out, in the way of Mike Boardman, Mark York, and Akash Shah!

We got off to a great start with myself beating Mark York in 4 legs. I did a great job of containing his very strong forehand loops and kept him at bay for the most part (albeit with a couple of lucky nets and edges in the 4th). Mike Boardman then used his very trusty attacking game to defeat Marc in 3. Buoyed from my victory against Mark, I then set to work containing Akash (easier said than done). I had never beaten Akash before and so was extremely pleased to win in three very tightly contested sets 12-10 11-8 11-9. It was then the battle of the two Mark/Marc’s. Marc Brent took a very hotly contested 1st leg 11-9, followed by a somewhat more straingforward leg 11-3. To say that he had the rub of the green would be an understatement, as at a rough count he must have had at least 5 or 6 favourable edges or net cords! Mark York took the third game, but Marc B held his nerve in the 4th to take the match 11-8. We were still in with a shout. I then took on Mike (who I have never beaten) and was completely outplayed in the first two legs, going down 11-4 11-9. I started to find my range in the third and took it 11-8, before a very tightly contested 4th leg in which I had a couple of game points to take it to a decider, but Mike held firm to take the win.

What followed has to be one of the strangest matches I have ever witnessed, Marc racing into a 2-0 lead against Akash with ease, and holding a 7-2 lead in the third, looked an odds on certainty to take the win, but Akash completely changed his game and decided not to attack anything at all. This ,unfortunately, was to be Marc’s undoing as his defence became erratic, with a number of unforced errors creeping in. Akash went on to take the next three legs and there went our chance of getting anything from the match. Mark and Mike secured a 7-3 win for Adeyfield in a very tightly contested doubles (at least for the first three legs).

We were left somewhat feeling what might have been had we had three players, but all in all, a 3-7 loss against such strong opposition, with only two players, was not a bad result at all.