UEL Badminton team have secured the league with an undefeated record – a remarkable rise from bottom to top.
The men’s team went into the last game of the season needing a win to secure the league title and they didn’t disappoint. With a convincing win over Southbank University, UEL won 8-0 as they remained undefeated with eight wins and two draws, finishing on 26 points.
No complaceny
The pressure was high coming into the game as a slip up against Southbank would see Kings overtake UEL and take the top spot with a win against University of Essex.
The east London side knew all they required to be crowned champions was to win all three points and regardless of the scores at Kings, they would be given the league title as they were already one point ahead of kings. Knowing this there was no complacency from UEL as they ran out comfortable winners.
UEL’s title rivals seemed to crumble under the pressure as Kings could only manage a 4-4 draw against Essex. Kings ended their season with seven wins, two draws and one defeat which results in them finishing three points behind UEL.
Last game
UEL’s line up consisted of Sean Wilson as the number-one seed singles and Tze Voon Lim, playing his last ever match for UEL as second-seeded singles player. The doubles were again made up of the pairing of Josh Teoh and Alvin Lee, with Lee playing his last game for UEL too. The second seeded doubles were Ali Chin and Shahed Ali, who was making his debut for UEL in this title deciding game.
The match got off to a quick start as Wilson despatched Southbank’s first seed 21-11, 21-9. Teoh and Lee had the same killer touch winning 21-9, 21-16. The key for UEL was not to panic under the pressure of what was at stake as they established a 2-0 lead. Knowing that Lim was playing his final game for UEL, he put in maximum effort as a close first set 21-19 followed by a 21-14 win in the second gave UEL a 3-0 lead.
Only needing two more points it was down to the debutant Ali and Chin to secure the fourth point. They did it with ease winning 21-9, 21-16.
Almost certain of victory Wilson again eased past his opponent 21-10 in both sets. Lee and Teoh were pushed into a three-set match, losing the first one 16-21 but coming back strong showing great character winning the final two 21-17, 21-16. With the final two games left, UEL were already champions as Chin and Ali won 21-12, 21-9 and Lim eased past his opponent 21-17, 21-18.
Undefeated champions look ahead
With the game wrapped up with an 8-0 win, UEL were victorious. With new additions hopefully for next year, the team can have another successful season. Other players staying on who should be helping the team who have also had a helping hand this year are captain Ali Chin, Josh Teoh, Sean Wilson, George Geaves, Irfan Lee and Shahed Ali.
End of an era
Massive credit goes to players who have contributed heavily as their time at UEL comes to an end: Tze Voon Lim, Alvin Lee, Marco Eng and Azhar Syed. Having all contributed this season, this is a fitting tribute to what has been a successful undefeated season.
Click the link to see how the league table finished.