Tom Armstrong ousts Oliver Leydon in Men’s Singles event of Division 1-Wisden Cup 2012
Auckland’s Tom Armstrong played flawless badminton and fetched a vital match point for his team by stamping Oliver Leydon-Davis in Division 1-Wisden Cup on August 11, 2012.
This team event is in full swing at local badminton arena of Hamilton, New Zealand and this Men’s Singles encounter was part of a match between Auckland and Waikato.
Both contenders kept the audience intact for three sensational games before concluding the battle with 8-21, 23-21 and 21-9 margin.
Though, Tom Armstrong had a cautious start but he made amends in ending two sets and locked the honour.
On the other hand, Oliver put a fluctuated performance and squandered a golden opportunity of a straight-set victory.
The first set saw him in prime touch as he established an unassailable lead by gathering valuable points without any interruption.
He did not lose this rhythm at any stage of the game and left his rival far behind with a huge difference of 13 points.
Meanwhile, Tom could not withstand this intensive invasion and knelt down in both sections of the set. His below par performance resulted in a shameful 8-21 defeat.
Next game was full of drama as at one stage the Waikato campaigner was in strong position to wrap the show in just two segments but then Tom Armstrong came in his way.
The Auckland shuttler displayed commendable fighting spirit as he matched his competitor’s skills all the way to the final moments.
In first half, he was bit under pressure after first set loss but a couple of consecutive points boosted his confidence and he started showing elevated craft.
Though, Tom was trailing behind until third quarter of the set but still he did not allow his challenger to gain a notable advantage.
Both contenders were standing equal at game point situation when Tom made difference by registering a tight yet favourable figure of 23-21.
The third game proved completely one-sided affair as Oliver never came back after a severe blow in the second set whereas Tom capitalised and bagged the decider with a staggering knock.
He laid a foundation by dominating the first half and then made the best out of this initial advantage by putting final score of 21-9.
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