What started out as a great day in Dublin ended up in bitter disappointment for our Division 2 team yesterday. They were well on the way to bringing home an All-Ireland Division 2 cup to Boyle when a cruel twist of fate snatched the victory from their grasp.
They had faced Johnswell of Kilkenny and had taken a comprehensive 6-1 win in that match and were quietly confident of another good result approaching their second match against Lady Lane from Waterford. However as Boyle took the court for Mens Singles and went 8-1 up in the first game Marcin suffered a very painful leg injury which meant both his Singles and the Mixed game he was to play with Bernie were in jeopardy. The Badminton Ireland tournament rules stated that no substitute could be used once the match was underway so the Boyle team were forced to continue as they were.
Even against the odds the team went all out to try to secure the desired outcome, there were great performances throughout but mention must be made of the mens doubles battle which was an epic encounter. John and Padraic narrowly lost the first set at 26-24 to the Waterford duo, they then won the second set 21-17 and in the final set neither pair wanted to let go, the Waterford players had five set points before our Boyle lads played the rally of the tournament to take back the set point at 26-25 and with a perfectly precise net shot by Padraic to follow John's serve the game went to Boyle. The end result however was 4-3 to Waterford as lady luck shone on Lady Lane who became All-Ireland Champions.
Boyle have again brought home an All-Ireland Silver, this year in Division 2, which is a massive achievement for our club. It's hard to believe that some of the Division 2 players were playing Division 4 league as little as two years ago! The whole team have put in sterling performances all year and deserve only the warmest congratulations. As a club we have a lot to be proud of in 2010, three County titles, one Connaught title and an All-Ireland Silver.
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