UWE’s second squad of eight suffered a 5-3 defeat to the hands of Plymouth’s first team in a badminton battle at Frenchay’s Centre for Sport on Wednesday 14th October.

The score was settled after eight games were played out, doubles and singles, along a line of four Badminton Courts watched by friends and travelling Plymouth supporters, but all eyes were on UWE’s Sam Issacs as he huffed and puffed but didn’t quite blow the house down in an intriguing face-to-face finale with Plymouth’s Oliver Critchton.

UWE’s warrior in white caught the imagination with several scintillating serves but was denied in a tight 21-19 first-set of three defeat.

Crichton, clad in blue, was due a drop in form and it came. Yet Isaacs had to fight tooth and nail for it, slicing and spicing up a second set winning feast to give UWE hope of a draw with the scores at 3-4. All hinged on the final scene between these two titans in tenure.

14-21 the UWE man of hope went down. Exit Isaac to the left. The watching crowd extolled his brave efforts but truth be told, UWE were bold but Plymouth’s dominant doubles were just more destructive than UWE’s two single players.

Kumar Bathia and Joe Sullivan shone throughout for Plymouth; the pair blinding UWE’s doubles team with shining rays of excellence. Skilled and filled with composure, the duo danced around the court with elegant ease. Look away for one moment and it could have been Roger Federer roaming about, toying with his opponents and placing balls with expertise.

They seemed to have a telepathic understanding with one another. As Bathia blazed his shot, min-seconds later Sullivan ducked to dodge his team-mate’s bullet. The pair had either been practising assiduously or they had been separated at birth, such was their communication as they obliterated their victims. 21-10 to Plymouth’s dancing doubles. Plymouth’s other pairing could be seen joining in the waltz across court.

Sam Clough and Sam Isaacs were the men representing the West of England with great single-playing pride, diving at seemingly lost causes and giving Plymouth bruises and Isaacs, in particular, was starting to look the real deal.

He played Chee Wing Tsee with a look of glee, shooting shuttlecocks past him with menacing prowess. 21-6 to Isaac was the first set score-line as both players rested so they were ready for the next battle. It was clear to see that Tsee was unfit as he fell to the floor inundating himself with an energy drink.

Drunk on his winning way, Isaacs sat on the side-line assuming a Buddha-like seating position, composing himself for his next combat.

The Gods were certainly on his side in the second set as he destroyed Tsee 21-1, the third was a little closer, 21-17 still to Issacs.

Meanwhile, Plymouth’s doubles were still thrashing UWE’s pairs, meaning West of England’s singles had to keep their game up.

Sam Clough, though, was no Brian Clough. Isaacs’s teammate in singles-battle fell 14-21 down to Plymouth’s Oliver Critchten in the first set, 1—21 in the second. Clough did strut to victory in the third but his overall defeat gave Isaacs a mountain to climb.

It was time. Plymouth’s doubles’ sterling display meant Isaac had to beat Critchten 2-1 in a final face-off to hand UWE a draw. 2-1 was instead the score-line in favour of Critchten as Plymouth edged out UWE.