Hey guys, welcome back!
So, over the weekend I was over in London playing on the Leinster senior team in division 1 of the English Inter Counties. In what was a very successful weekend, I helped the Leinster team finish second in the division, securing a play-off place where we will face stiff opposition from three other English counties to fight for promotion to the premier division, the best in English badminton!
It was a brilliant weekend and a very enjoyable one with some tough games all round. First off, we faced Devon who we beat 8-3. This was a brilliant result for us and a flying start which we had hoped for. Those 8 points were well needed as all the teams around us seemed to be catching up. We followed this up with a 6-5 win over Middlesex to round up the play for Saturday. A massive 14 points gained today which kept us in second and with the help of some other results between the other counties we were in a commanding position in staying second to reach the play-offs!
On Sunday morning, we lined out against Hertfordshire who were top of the league but we knew we could beat them. Every match was critical in this tie as we knew it could go down to the wire especially as it was so close when we played them the last time. Last year, we edged out a 7-4 win but this time our fortunes turned for the worst ending up with an 8-3 loss. This may have dampened our team spirit but we have still qualified for the play-offs and with some important team members missing through injury, we are sure to put up a massive fight to gain promotion.
I really enjoyed my weekend over in England and I was delighted with my individual performance, winning all 6 of my games. After a good training block following the European Team Championships, my body is feeling fitter every day and I couldn't be happier. One more push from the whole team and we will hopefully be playing in England's top division next year!
As my third year as part of the Leinster senior team and reaching the play-offs twice in my first two years I am hoping that the third time is a charm and we can gain promotion. Between now and then, however, we have the All Ireland Inter-Provincials where we will battle it out against Ulster, Munster and Connacht for the title. This will give the team some much needed preparation for the play-offs and I am really looking forward to it.
One of my favorite mottos, I always remember:
"Stay positive, Work hard and Make it happen."
Three things I always try to do no matter what I am doing or where my life is going! Just remember you are your only limit. Do what you want, not what anybody else wants.
I will be sure to keep you guys posted with how we get on in the play-offs in what could be a memorable season for us!
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