Game spotlight – Krysten Coombs vs Andrew Davies

Scottish youngster Andrew Davies faced English Paralympian Krysten Coombs in his opening match at the 4 Nations Para Badminton Championships this afternoon. The match, in which Coombs emerged victorious, was a close battle between the two competitors.

The opening rally lasted approximately a minute with neither player looking like they wanted to give up the first point. After a quick water break it would be Coombs that would win the point, however Davies was right behind him, quickly tying the scores again.

It wouldn’t take long for the bronze medal holder to extend his lead, looking to leave the young Scot in the dust behind him, however Davies kept up the fight and round one ended 21-10 in favour of Coombs.

Round two saw Davies take the early lead, at one point being three points clear of Coombs. Coombs fought back and brought himself into the lead, but after a couple stumbles found himself level again with his opponent. The match continued to be close, with Davies battling hard for the all important win. Ultimately it would not go to a third round as Coombs fought his way to win 21-15.

Following the match, Krysten reflected on his match admitting that it was challenging at times. He said “the first game at a tournament can always be a bit tricky. Fair play to Andy there, it was a great game.”

When asked about his selection for Team GB at the upcoming Paralympics, Krysten said “I can’t wait for it. To be part of Tokyo, the first one, was amazing and to come home with a medal was even better. That was a dream come true. To be able to say I’ve been able to represent GB again at another Paralympics is just amazing.”

This was Davies’ first match of three for the day. When interviewed after his second match against Charles Noakes, Davies said that his game “did not go as well as the first”. Commenting on it further he said that “it was pretty close up until the last few points.”

When asked about his development and future, Davies explained that his ultimate goal would be the Paralympics, however it’s important for him to gain experience at these events, especially with Glasgow being his home nation.

Davies still had one more match to play, a mixed doubles against England’s Rachel Choong and Jack Sheppard. Paired with Poland’s Daria Bujnicka, they fought hard but ultimately lost 21, 21 to 7, 7.

By Lois Smillie