Words by Kieran Lieary and Luke Nurden
A well fought effort from Derby men’s second team was not enough to match their opponents as they were swept aside by Birmingham’s seconds in the badminton BUCS league.
Derby started the day in fourth with their opponents two places above them in second and in the end Birmingham’s quality came through despite Derby’s fight as the visitors came away with an overall victory of 8-0.
Singles
Game one started off quite evenly with both players earning points early on in the game. It was Birmingham who turned on the extra bit of quality and dominated the rest of the game winning both sets 21-6 and 21-7.
The second game saw Birmingham control the court and forced Derby into mistakes with both sets telling a similar story. The visitors’ efficient shots and tricky serves saw them win the first set 21-8 and the second 21- 2.
Game three was a lot more of a close fought contest with the first set finishing 21-12 to Birmingham. The second set was not so close with the tie finishing 21-5 to the visitors.
In the final match Birmingham had no intention to slow down as they commanded the first and second set once again winning 21-5 and 21-6
In both games Derby showed heart but many of the points they gave away came from their own mistakes within the four games and ultimately lost to a talented team.
Doubles
The first game was dominated in the early stages by Birmingham with them gaining some valuable early points but Derby brought a few back of their own. These shots ultimately were not enough as Birmingham saw out the game winning both sets 21-5.
Birmingham’s duo was faster and smarter than Derby’s in the second game. They dominated both sets despite a courageous attempt from the home team and came out victors of the game.
The third game saw another assertive display from the visitors. Despite a well fought effort by Derby their quality was just not up to that of their opponents as they were defeated in both sets.
The last matchup was a much more equal affair. Derby’s duo produced a fighting performance playing against Birmingham’s strengths but it still was not enough with the away side winning both sets, capping off a commanding day for the West Midlands based team.
Derby will look to bounce back as they face Nottingham next week who currently sit below them in the table and they will see it as a real opportunity to build on the positives from today’s game a get and result.
Derby Uni Footy Journos 
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