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8 Jun 2015

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport narrowly miss out on National Badminton League glory

After an incredible 5-0 victory over Surrey Smashers in the semi-finals, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport came agonisingly close to taking the National Badminton League title, but in the end succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Team Derby.

Qualifying for Finals Day in fourth place meant º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport were the underdogs, but after victories in their previous two league matches the team were on a roll. This momentum continued in the semi-final as they dispatched league toppers Surrey with consummate ease to book their final spot against their East Midlands rivals.

The first match of the afternoon session saw men’s doubles pair Greg Mairs and Peter Briggs taking on European Champion Chris Coles and world ranked number 10 Andy Ellis. Team Derby came out all guns blazing and in the end were just too strong for student Mairs and alumus Briggs, however the 3-0 score line was probably an unfair reflection of proceedings.

Next up was the women’s doubles where sports scholar Chloe Birch teamed up with the experienced Jenny Wallwork. They took on reigning u19 national champion Lydia Powell and her England teammate Tiara Samuel with the aim of levelling the score 1-1. Birch and Wallwork controlled the game from the outset, racing into a 1-0 lead, before going on to dispatch the Derby duo 3-0. Afterwards Birch commented:

“We’re really happy with how we played and we knew we could dominate that game and we did just that. We needed to get that point for the team as it was a crucial one and hopefully we can carry that momentum on through the rest of the match.

“Behind the scenes in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ a lot of people have put a lot of effort and time into where we are today and I think its great credit to us and everyone who’s put the hard work and effort in the background and doesn’t always get the praise they deserve.”

The third match of the evening saw Swedish star Henri Hurskainen take on England number 1 Rajiv Ouseph. In a spectacular match that saw a number of very close calls, Hurskainen suffered his first defeat of the NBL season. Tied at 2-2, Ouseph stole the win in the final game to restore Derby’s advantage.

Next up were mixed doubles pair Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith and they took to the court against former world number 1 Gails Emms MBE and Martin Campbell, knowing anything less than a win wouldn’t be good enough. With this in mind, both Ellis and Smith played some wonderful badminton to take a well-earned 3-0 victory to tie the match at 2-2. Of the victory, Smith said:

“It was really good. I don’t get to play mixed doubles very often so it’s quite enjoyable to do something different and I’d do it again! We’ve been great as a team, as even though the season started really badly we’ve all pulled together and kept our foot on the gas; I’ve really enjoyed it.”

That meant it was down to the final game of the day, the women’s singles. On court for º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport was Linda Zetchiri and she faced the task of stopping European Bronze medalist Karen Schnasse of Team Derby. It was a hard fought game, but in the end Schnasse ran out a 3-0 winner to ensure that her team lifted the inaugural NBL title.

If you want to see more world-class badminton at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2015/16 as º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport go for the NBL title, sign up now for ticket information by clicking here

Notes for editors

Article reference number: PR 15/108

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, putting it among the best universities in the world, and was named University of the Year in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2015. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. It was 2nd in the 2015 THE Student Experience Survey and was named Sports University of the Year 2013-14 by The Times and Sunday Times. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

In 2015 the University will open an additional academic campus in London’s new innovation quarter. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London, based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will offer postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.

Contact for all media enquiries

Pete Matthews
PR Officer for Sport
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
P.W.Matthews@lboro.ac.uk
01509 228686