Lancaster 7 – 2 York
As it became increasingly likely that the red side were going to clinch yet another home Roses, the two Badminton sides began to play, unknowing that it would be their efforts that succeeded in bringing the Carter James trophy back to the North-West.
The Mens team looked unstoppable from the off. Both initial teams winning their opening best of three games by a score of 2-0, with the first real scare coming in the first set of game three. With the no team managing two points in a row from 18-18, both sets of players were looking to clinch it- once it got to 21-21, Lancaster’s duo (featuring a fantastic performance from both players, including Captain Adam Stewart), managed to earn a well-needed win at 23-21. This would become especially invaluable as on Court 2, the Lancaster team were unlucky to lose their first game of the day after the visitors came back strong, making it a more respectable 3-1. Despite this brief scare, however, York never looked like mounting a substantial challenge; all teams looked comfortable, their superior edurance (possibly credited to their hard-work in a pre-season trip to Malaysia) paying dividends, as they cruised to an overall win of 7-2. When interviewed after the match, Captain Adam Stewart said ‘’ “The dream end to a fantastic season! That was only the second time in recorded history the Men’s First team have beaten York and 7-2 showed our dominance! Credit to York for a valiant effort, but we knew we had the strength in depth and that showed. A long season of training and a trip to Malaysia have paid off, not just for us, but for the whole club. We’ve secured Lancaster’s biggest ever recorded win in badminton!’
