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Photos: Jack Bradshaw
The men’s badminton 1sts fell to a disappointing 5-3 defeat at the hands of Sheffield to end any hopes of promotion this season.
York had to win today’s fixture to leapfrog their rivals into pole position, and hope Sheffield slipped up in their next match against Hull.
Their chances were boosted before the match as Sheffield turned up short of a second doubles pairing, giving York a 2-0 lead by default.
However, Sheffield won five of the six matches played to steal a sensational victory and ensure they will play in the Northern 1B division next year.
Much of the pre-match attention surrounded Baillie Watterson, York’s player of the tournament at Varsity, who was making his final home appearance in black and gold colours.
The star man produced an accomplished display to see off his first singles opponent, Luke MacWilliam, 21-6, 21-14.
Absorbing the power of his counterpart thanks to his amazing feel and flexibility, Watterson wrapped up the first set in no time. Executing a masterclass of counter-attacking badminton, Watterson toyed with MacWilliam and rounded off a one-sided affair.
The second set was tighter but Watterson was always in control, and before long York had sailed into a 3-0 lead overall.
But this was to be York’s final point of the afternoon. On the opposite court, Jinglun Tang was beaten in straight sets 21-12, 21-8 by the outstanding Lecky Leung.
Leung simply proved too strong in all areas, especially at the net, and the comment “there’s no point in me playing” summed up Tang’s mood afterwards.
The first doubles match of the day followed, but James Davies and Dan Hirst fell to an agonising 22-20, 19-21, 8-21 defeat to Sheffield’s Mather and Cohen.
The first set saw some ferocious hitting and long rallies which proved a physical challenge for the players, but York edged it at the death.
It remained neck-in-neck during the second, but communication errors cost York and Sheffield profited with some well-executed winners.
The decider was set up to be another epic but was disappointingly one-sided as Sheffield ran out 21-8 victors, the highlight being an exquisite reverse backhand from Cohen at an acute angle.
With the York’s lead cut to 3-2, next on the menu was the match everyone was anticipating between Watterson and Leung. Both players had won once each in their previous encounters.
The quality of badminton was quite staggering, as spectators were treated to a brilliant display of athleticism where every square inch of the court mattered.
While Watterson exhibited a rollercoaster of emotions from pure joy to utter despair, Leung appeared tranquil and almost robotic in what proved to be a fascinating contrast.
Leung was marginally on top during the first set, though, and won 22-20. Trailing 14-8 in the second set, Watterson turned the tables to clinch it 21-19 and let out his trademark roar of delight.
Remarkably, this was despite losing one of his contact lenses halfway through the set.
The incredible rallies continued to flow as both players stretched and slid into baffling positions; it was clear they were growing accustomed to each other’s game.
In the end, Leung moved to three match points at 20-17 and took the first on offer as a breathtaking game came to a close.
Meanwhile, on the opposite court, Tang again ran into trouble and was undone by MacWilliam 21-14, 21-8. The two defeats put Sheffield in control at 4-3 ahead, which eliminated any chance of a York victory.
The final match between Tom Dainty and Henderson mattered little in the grand scheme of things, but two tight sets were edged 21-19, 21-16 by the Sheffield pairing of Mather and Cohen to round off an exceptional comeback triumph for the away side.