St Giles Badminton Club

Hi everyone,
As most of you know, St Giles are going to have some awards at the end of this season. Most of them will be humorous eg. Award for the loudest member on court etc. We might have a few serious ones as well such as Chairman’s player of the season.
So, we need suggestions! Either comment on here with your ideas, the funnier the better! Or, there will be a list put up on Thursday at club night for people to write down their suggestions on there.
It would be really good if winners could be surprised on the night, so if you have any nominations for suggested awards then please either give them directly to me or email/Facebook me.
Get thinking everyone!

Could the curse besetting our first teams of loosing their last matches be dodged? The answer an emphatic yes from a revised team containing one debutant and an ever reliable former first teamer.

The team for the night of 1:Steve B & Doreen, 2: Alex & Ellie and 3: Gray & Katie were determined not to let this one slip by and ensure we remained unbeaten for the season got off to a healthy start taking the first three rubbers, two of which were against their second pair whilst waiting for a third man to turn up for the visitors. Upon the arrival of their final team member things were quickly slipping away and his contribution made little difference to the result with a fine 7-2 home victory, maintaining an unbeaten run of three seasons and around 16 matches.

All our pairs were magnisficent led superbly by Steve & Doreen playing as first pair and guarenteeing early stabilty by beating their best pair in three, being unlucky not to take all three of their rubbers, losing in two to their third pair, not that there was much difference in quality between them Byron putting out a very competitive team. Alex & Ellie were the dream team pairing for the team taking all three of their rubbers in two games, the only problems seeming to be self inflicted ‘yours’ confusion and an appetite for perfection edging the off court placid Ellie to near implosion when not quite hitting the oppostition between the eyes! Finally and in my biased opinion the performance of the night was myself and Katie, the first team debutant, getting her selection from a contribution of impressing in the thirds, injury and unavailability promoting her to partner me, a thankless task her little sister normal has to injure! With nerves nagging at her knees, Katie produced an amazing display remaining alarmingly quiet throughout the night (I know no screeches, giggles, screams or age inquiries!) not Barber like at all! but despite all that we managed to beat their second pair to 10 & 11, take their two other pairs to three in each rubber wining one and losing the other. A truly class performance by our newest first teamer, long may it continue.

This for me was the best performance from the team all season and arguably the best in all the last three seasons, Mapperley Park last year probably edges it but this is a very close second with us being able to bring in different partners and still beat a really competative away team. Once again this season has been a real team performance with no less than six different ladies and four men playing throughout the season, my thanks goes to you all, Ellie, Steff, Janice, Doreen, Denise, Katie, Steve B, Alex and Neil who was extremely disappointed to miss this one and crown another wonderful season playing with Ellie and by far our best pair. My final thanks goes to the tremendous support this team has generated over the last couple of seasons this performance witnessed by Denise, impatiently watching from the wings joined by Charlie, showing amazing commitment by turning out even with Steff policing the mean streets of Leicester, having been joined on other occasions by big D, Stu(complete with compulsory orange) Katie(when not on court!) and Jon.

All that remains for me to say is, watch out Div 2 the mighty St G have your number.

Our third men’s team took to the courts with a revised team including a debut for recent addition to the club, Kev C partnering Mark O anchoring a strong turn out for the home team.

Things got off to a mixed start with the first rubbers being shared leading to what eventually turned out to be the decisive moment of the match. The third rubber of the match between both teams third pairs went to three games with St G taking the last comfortably. With this game in the bag it was down to our other pairs to do the business to clinch match, or was it, fresh from their first victory(a feat which took me nearly two seasons to achieve) and a heavy loss in the first game of their second rubber Kev & Mark took the second wining 21-19, sadly they couldn’t repeat it in the last and lost 21-14 but it was by far the best performance I have seen from two guys making their debut together. So it was left to our more experienced pairs to claim victory for St G, Dave & Sean our first pair for the night were imperious taking all three of their rubbers and dealing some strong blows to BV’s first & second pairs, who could of easily took the games needed to steal victory if they had been given the chance. With the match at 4-4 going into the final rubber Kev B & Mike had the honour of sealing the victory by dispatching their third pair in two games having earlier been thwarted by the visitors stronger pairs.

All our pairs played their parts well and really deserved the win, Kev & Marks performance however was superb and crucial to our success which Im sure they will continue to deliver if oppurtunity allows in our final match.

With two games in as many days the team captains head was starting to ache attempting to keep everything together at the end of a busy season and even busier month. Either that or an impending party celebrating a milestone few thought he would make, complete with hangover post Indiana!

The chairman having missed the away game on friday took up his usual spot on the sidelines to watch an entertaining evening of badminton with Stuart partnering Brenda for the second time this season making sure all new there was a Barber on court! On a difficult night playing the competative Unity first team our pairs battled hard with several rubbers going to three games managing to gain two of them saw the final score a respectable 7-2. James & Sarah playing as our first pair were unlucky not to gain further reward than the single rubber they picked up with excellent effort in each game, Sarah having enjoyed the days outing to the beach with various seaside treats consumed showing great commitment to leave early and take her place on court. Sean & Gill C going for the straight run of games as our third pair went extremely close in their first rubber with a 25-23, 21-18 defeat which turned out to be the closest they came to victory on the night, Gill playing well at the net and Sean enjoying the benefit of the visitors constantly forgetting he is left handed! Equally fustrated in their first rubber were Stuart & Brenda taking the first game 21-18 before slipping to defeat with 21-16 & 21-19, the game which followed agaisnt by far there best pair went in two leaving them with the final rubber to take some well deserved pride a 22-20 & 24-22 victory, Stuart on this occasion chosing to forget one of his favourite lines of ‘win ugly’ and opting to play a let on a debatable line call which would have clinched it without the need to go into the mid twenties, very sporting in deed.

My thanks goes to all who played especially those attending on both nights and everyone turning out for this team, we have been able to play many of those wanting to feature in the matches and appreciate everyone’s flexibility accommodating the many pairings selected.

Well played mixed 3, team St G.

The first men’s final game of the season away to Naseeb in the depths of Radford at the John Carrol LC was our opportunity to become champions for the second season running and remain unbeaten. With Neils rousing text message before the game, we were all ready to finish the job……

Sadly following on from the ladies final game disappointment we continued the run by losing 5-4 in a tight competitive game, with a vocal home crowd ensuring a tense atmosphere to add a little spice to the night. The hard hitting home team took an early dent to the match by losing 2 of the first 3 but they rallied well with there best pair winning all of their rubbers, team Steve took them all the way, a feat which Neil & Jon managed in their first rubber but both couldn’t edge past them. With myself and Alex managing to go down in 2 against their best pair following a comfortable start and with all three pairs playing simultaneously the scores standing at 4-3 to the home team we weren’t prepared to fall short again, taking our final rubber in three games. With the on set of ‘old timers’ kicking in, Neils final match as a twenty something leaving him without a pair of shorts making the evening a rather uncomfortable one playing in his trousers, fortunately not the ones from the days meetings! With this handicap and the relentless smashing Jon & Neil battled hard without reward leaving the champions elect with a bitter taste in there mouth and a long wait to put it right. With our spirit dampened we did what all gallant losers do, leave! and make the dash across town to surprise Ellie with a chorus of happy birthdays for both her and Neil, them sharing not only a partnership on court but birthdays days apart.

To review our teams performance this season my admaration and thanks goes firstly to team Steve(B&W), I always believed we would be promoted this year but their contribution has been massive, not droping a rubber until their final game of the season has both taken pressure of me & Alex and created competition as well for top pairing which I feel they have just edged. Our new siginings for the season sparked change in the team allowing us to try out a new third pairing of Neil & Jon, work comitments restricting thier oppurtunitys to half of our matches but showing enough to make us all believe next season will be their season. In Neils absence a third Steve(P) returned to continue his long partnership with Jon and deliver some very important rubbers for us and speaking of super subs our very own dash (James) came to my rescue when Alex fell to injury to deliver a three star performance against a very strong Uni side and showed he is ready to challenge the regulars in the first. Finally I have to thank my long suffering partner Alex for another excellent season, despite having the audasity to get injured and missing a match he continues to show his class and cover all the spaces I leave when charging around the court shouting my head off!

Thank you to all who have ensured we will be challenging in Div2 next season, well done.          

The scene was set for a historic night for St Giles, both our Ladies & Mens first teams had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of our Mixed 1 team and secure promotion. Both teams started well, the men kicking off first with an earlier than normal start closely followed by the Ladies playing there final game against Notts Uni with recent injuries requiring an experimental third pair.

Frequent texting between both teams kept all involved up to the minute with blow by blow accounts, the traveling fans deciding to head down to the Uni to witness what was expected to be the crowning glory of an excellent season, sadly the students played there part a little to well and stoped us from getting full marks inflicting a 5-4 defeat, although the points total finished in our favour with Steff & Ellie remaining unbeaten for the season and thankful of getting a decent work out for the first time this season! Hopefully this result wont deny our Ladies promotion with the Uni already having lost a game earlier in the season.

Whilst the Ladies toiled the Men continued there march to Div 2 with team Steve (B&W) continuing there dominance, not dropping a game, this a little remarkable following Steve W confession, post result, of consuming a mere four meals during the day and a pint before kick off! A shock even his partner couldnt comprehend believing he to be the only player who was allowed to attend with an alcahol level boarding on intoxicated! The recently reunited 2nd pair of me & Alex managed to complete a match without the need for medical attention attempting to emulate team Steve but falling short by dropping one game but remaining unbeaten none the less. This leaving Jon & Neil making there second appearance as our third pair to entertain us all with marathon rallies and Neils reluctance to unleash the power! but keeping everyone guessing (including themselves) on what was to come next having taken themselves to the brink of victory on several occasions only to snatch defeat, with a final result of 6-3 ensuring promotion with one game remaining to seal champion status.

Points to note on a thoroughly entertaining evening were an admission by team Steve that they don’t have any match tactics, only to batter there way through the opposition with two types of smash, the first an angled to the floor preventing return, with the second designed to remove there opponents from the court! Steve B indecision on whether it was a home fixture and providing jelly babies to add to the home sides refreshments, home made flapjack a particular favourite of the chairman’s! Neil suffering firstly from sleep deprivation having started his day around five in the morning with a trip to Southampton and back (True commitment, please note Ellie! no uni is far enough away from the call of the mighty St G!) secondly a caffeine overdose in an attempt to ward off the first and finally having a personalty crisis adopting his mixed partners ‘yours’ cry throughout long periods of the match and adding a ’come on’ cry after one extended rally worthy of our chairman with all in disbelief and some acusing looks at the innocent aforementioned chairman, busy filling his face in between making a complete hash of the scorecard!

This leaves me only to thank all involved for a tremendous evening capped off with a round of drinks at the local pub with both teams swapping stories and good luck for our last match away at Naseeb on Thursday with a dash afterwards to make Ellies 18th birthday celebrations before last orders are called.

Not to be outdone by their Mixed 1 contemporaries, Mixed 2 followed suit and beat David Lloyd Aspley 9-0 at ‘fortress’ Emmanuel School on Thursday 23rd Feb. Classy performances from all of the pairs, and a solid sports hall floor, seemed too much for the opposition to contend with on the night. Many thanks go to Sean for stepping to partner Sam at the 11th hour after Alex and family succumbed to illness – get well soon Mee family!

What can only be described as a comprehensive 9-0 win got off to a sound start with all three pairs taking their first rubbers despite Sean using the first game as a warm-up, and Jon Olds admitting to playing as though he had never seen feathered shuttles before (I am assured that had nothing to do with the fact he is currently playing with one of Graydon’s spare rackets!). In the end, St Giles’ Mixed 2 were just too strong for David Lloyd Aspley’s second string, who were discombobulated by a few swift jabs to the kidneys and judo chops to the neck – all within about 90 minutes!

Undoubtedly the highlight of the evening for everyone, except one of her humbled schoolfriend’s (not, incidentally, part of the fabled ‘friendship group’), was Ellie giving a male peer, and lift to school, what Noel Coward’s Mr Bridger would describe as ‘A good going over’. For the record Ellie beat him 21-6 in an exhibition singles match which brought club night to a halt and had both sets of fans goading the poor lad. He may not show his face at school for a while but, given he gives Ellie a lift in the mornings, nor may she!

All in all another cracking performance from St Giles’ mixed 2 team, who remain on track for back-to-back promotions after winning 4 from 5. The promotion play-off is against East Leake on a Wednesday night in March – May the force be with you!

PS – If anyone gets the Mr Bridger reference, then you are sadder than me… deal with it!

A re-jigged St Giles’ mixed 1 team remembered their carpet slippers, and to forgo their dinner, to run riot at David Lloyd Aspley’s sub-zero aircraft hangar on Friday 10th Feb…

Steve & Doreen (stepping in for the injured Janice) led from the front to secure a 9-0 win, dropping just one game all night and looking imperious. Graydon and Denise (standing in for PC Barber, who was busy collaring undesirables – who should really take a long hard look at themselves and reconsider the path they have chosen – on the mean streets of Leicester) also racked up maximum points on the night with 126 points for and 93 against. Finally, Club 18-30 (Ellie and Neil) brought up the rear and weighed in with 3 rubbers and 126 for and 86 against to round off a satisfactory night’s work for the club.

Notable highlights include Graydon and Denise sharing a blanket (Graydon’s towel!) in a bid to stay alive in the arctic conditions – I swear icycles were forming on the shuttle when we hit clears – and Ellie giving Neil a telling-off for ‘losing his focus and, frankly, getting complacent’ in order to capture the priceless photo of the aforementioned towel-sharing. Hats off to David Lloyd Aspley for being great hosts and furnishing Graydon, Steve and Neil with Lasagne and chips after the match – and even offering to share their ice cream pudding with us!) – most kind!

The win earned St Giles’ Mixed 1 promotion for the third consecutive season and means that just their final fixture away against Byron in late March stands between them and a third consecutive league title to maintain a 100% record that stretches back for the last 3 seasons. Massive congratulations to all involved in the club’s sustained success, and the best of luck for the tilt at the league title.

The mighty St G men took to the court for the third time this season with a revised team format allowing for the return of our very own jet setter Neil and with an injury to Alex keeping him sidelined meant the superb skills of James were called upon to add to the mix.

The evening started off in the best possible way with all three opening rubbers taken by the home team with team Steve continuing their dominance, James & I taking it all the way to claim victory in three and the first outing of Jon & Neil (jet lag starting to kick in!)  following our lead with a three game rubber. With such a strong start the students showed determination and hard work does achieve results taking advantage of the rapidly decreasing globe trotter and denying the new kids on the block any further victories despite taking there second game to three. With Steve B & Steve W leading the way once again, comfortably registering their third unbeaten performance of the season despite an early scare in their second rubber, it was left to James & I to entertain the spectators! James (Dash) continuing his high energy game with amazing court coverage and killer smashes having to endure his partners increasing outbursts of emotion and pre game pacing whilst consuming super food of dried mango recently shipped in!

The 7-2 scoreline doesnt do justice to the closeness of the matches with an eventual points total of 439 – 409 painting a slightly different scene, the students should be congratulated on there performance and there sporting behaviour, very nice chaps indeed!

Finally an apology from me over the ever increasing emotional outbursts which keep getting the better of me and a plea for a constant supply of dried mango which members of the home team believed to be dusted with amphet after the reaction it provoced from me, samples have been supplied to Notts CSI Police for forensic testing!

The Men’s II team kept their losing streak alive, “skidding” to a 5-4 defeat against a useful David Lloyd Aspley first team. The visitors “piled” on the pressure to “bag” an early lead and just about held on to see off a brave G-Force comeback.

Gray & James played some fantastic badminton throughout the evening, winning one game to just three points and claiming two rubbers for the night. But The highlight was their three-game rubber against the opponents’ first pair. Although this ultimately brought defeat by the most slender of margins, the capacity (Emirates-style, at least) crowd were treated to a real feast of high-quality badminton (but no Lasagna!).

The evening followed a similar “pattern” for the other pairs, Dave & Kev and Jon & Sean. Both had a tough start against the visitors’ top pairing and lost a rubber they might have done better in, before upping their game tremendously in the final frame to taste victory (but no Lasagna) in a thrilling three-game rubber.

Unfortunately, the Men’s II team find themselves on a “slippery slope” and have their work cut out for them if they are to maintain their division 4 status.