BADMINTON: COVENTRY’S Fontaine Chapman admitted she played through the pain barrier to ensure her Birmingham Lions team came away victorious in the AJ Bell National Badminton League on Monday night.
This week saw the resumption of the NBL following the Christmas break with Chapman and her teammates making the trip down to face league newcomers Bristol Jets.
The latter had yet to pick up a win all season while reigning champions Birmingham Lions came into the clash with two wins and two defeats.
It proved to be a tight opening with the teams tied at 1-1 after the women’s and men’s doubles before Birmingham Lions captain Toby Penty’s men’s singles win put them 2-1 up in the best-of-five clash.
Chapman then took to the court, battling both a knee injury and the best efforts of her opponent Nicola Cerfontyne to win on a tie-break and seal the deal for her team, before Bristol Jets at least ended on a high with a mixed doubles win.
“I’m really pleased with getting the win, I think it was quite an important match for us,” said Chapman.
“I really wanted to get this one so that it would take the pressure off the final event of the night, so I’m really pleased.
“Me and Nicola have played each other quite a few times, and it’s always a good match against her so I really enjoyed it.
“I haven’t played much badminton over Christmas, I’ve got a bit of a bad knee at the moment and it was uncomfortable at times, but I had to try and forget about that and focus on the tactics and what I needed to do.
“She played really well, she knows my game quite well and I know hers, so we are quite evenly matched.”
Victory and three points leaves Birmingham Lions top of the table with just one fixture remaining for them in the regular season.
However the nearest challengers of Loughborough Lightning, Team Derby and Suffolk Saxons all have two fixtures left, meaning the battle to be one of the two top teams to make the NBL Championship Final on February 8 is set to go right down to the wire.
“Our sights are firmly set on that final, and obviously if we get there, we want to defend our title,” added Chapman.
“We’ve got a few new team members this year, but everyone has just gelled really well and we’re on good form.
“If people are thinking of coming to the final, it’s an amazing experience and you get to watch badminton players who have competed at Olympics, World Championships and won national titles.
“It’s not badminton as you know it, it’s fast and really exciting.”
The AJ Bell National Badminton League final takes place on 8 February at centre:mk in Milton Keynes, offering a great value family evening out.
Tickets to see the league’s top two teams go head to head to be champions can be booked atwww.nationalbadmintonleague.co.uk
