6 weeks till the season starts....where's the summer???

Posted 16:33 16 July 2007 in Summer slog

Summer Training???

 

Mmmm…interesting theory.

So far this summer, I’ve been playing a fair bit of singles….good fitness work, more enjoyable actually playing than court work. However not really having enough effect.

 

The worst thing is…I’ve not lost any weight for about a month, I’m eating lots of crap at work coz I’m fed up being there and I’m permanently knackered from not enough sleep.

 

Last weekend I went to Bilbao for my friend Adam’s 30th birthday, he was invited on a stag doo, and said it was his 30th so the stag said bring some mates. We went to Bilbao with the plan of going to Pamplona to see the running of the Bulls. Fortunately/Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Pamplona, there was an all-night affair on the 1st night and then were advised not to travel by the Receptionist, the buses would be full, the streets packed and to run the bulls (the stag wanted to) would be stupid, as the Spaniards train for 12 months on how the bull moves etc….so we never went…this was very fortunate….coz I would loved to have run…what an experience…but it would have been daft…on Wednesday 7 people got Gored…someone very seriously…check it out on www.Sanfermin.com.

So a stag weekend….was really knackering and I was tired all the way up to this weekend, which involved being in Wimbledon for a FUN badminton tournament.

 

AlanSTD invited me to play in his team a gathering of excellent, quality badders players.

The team was Danny Plant, Katherine Cooper, Toni Sturgeon, Lucy Curran, Alan Dunlop and me. The format was three groups of 4 teams. You play 2 men’s, A and B, A and C, B and C, then you play a corresponding mixed……A and A, B and B, C&A (what ever happened to that place, half my kids wardrobe was CANDA!!!) sorry C and C. So the match was out of 9 rubbers and it was 1 set to 21. We won our first match in the morning 6-3 I think, and then won the next two matches 6-3 to go through from our group. We were told our Quarter final opponent, so Danny and I went on and beat the 1st men’s doubles pair 21-11, whilst our 1st ladies pair was warming up…the organiser went on to another quarter final 1st men’s doubles….interrupting a great match….they must have been near the end of a gruelling encounter…I started joking (as we were on the other side of the glass) that sorry boys you’ve been playing the wrong people....off you come…then one of the lads had that sort of reaction…of complete disbelief! They all trudged off court….which was very amusing coz my commentary of the situation was correct….all funny…until the organiser then walked onto our court and must have told the ladies, you’re playing the wrong people…..so the outcome was…Danny’s and mine match did not count and we had to go and play the correct team.

Fortunately we came through the Quarters and were through to the Semis on Sunday morning, starting at a great time of ….no stupid early start.

This was crucial, coz there was a bbq and disco in the bar area….needless to say lots of drinking happened and Alan and I were there till 2:50am……getting back to his and going to sleep at half 3…..no wonder I’m always tired at the mo.

The entertainment at the bbq had to be the young lads, who with their 3 for the price of 2 Primark shirts were giving all the lip going….some very enjoyable banter, apart from one lad got quite offended and was insisting on him and I going outside for a fight???  Fortunately I managed to laugh it off and avoid fisticuffs….especially as Adam wasn’t there…who’d mess with a mate of an 8ft giant!

 

Sunday’s semi final was against Adam and Scott’s team, they had Sam Ward, Claire Millward and Nicola Cavill a very strong ladies line up, to make up for the male weakness of Adam Smith, Scott Webber and Chris Dakin. Danny and I lost 1st men’s doubles…..ooopps did I say weakness, I meant strength. The ladies unfortunately didn’t carry on doing the carrying of the team that they did so expertly well the day before. So we were 2-0 down, Alan and I won our men’s, but the next ladies sadly lost. So we were 3-1 down, Danny carried Alan to win at their men’s, although we had a bit of help with the net tape on a couple of occasions. 3-2. The ladies battled hard, but unfortunately lost, so we were 4-2 down. We needed all the mixed. Toni played awesome at 1st mixed and we beat Scott and Sam. 4-3, then came the battle of the day Danny and KC vs. Adam and Milly….with the latter coming out the winner at 23-21…a very enjoyable dramatic match. Alan and Lucy then didn’t have to play coz we’d already lost, which has a small silver lining….not having to watch Al try and play mixed…hahahaha.

 

We played our ¾ playoff match against the team we started playing wrongly the day before and we came through that 5-3, not needing to suffer, sorry see Alan play mixed again.

Adam’s team won the final, beating the Wimbledon “Organisers fix draws successfully” Team 5-4 in am enjoyable finale, that came down to the final mixed.

A great weekend, lots of fun badders and an enjoyable night on Saturday.

 

This week, is about recovering and starting some proper training for the season. Gotta get on the exercise bike more, and start doing some speed court work sessions…..lots of lovely shadow!!!!!