Injury hit Magherafelt lose to Ballyearl

Laurence Hastings was brought in at No. 4 for Magherafelt (despite being hampered with an injured elbow) against Norman Kernohan. Laurence struggled to get going, unable to find any power or control in his shots, and was 2/0 down before he really troubled Norman. Laurence fought back in the third game relying on his ability to cover the court and play “sneaky” shots! Laurence managed to take it in a tie break, gaining a valuable point. In the fourth game Norman was ready and waiting for what Laurence could throw at him, and took control, with Laurence now running out of steam. Norman won 3/1; 11/3, 11/4, 10/12, 11/5.

In the No. 3 rubber Nick Hastings was matched with Stephen McAteer. Nick was also returning from injury, and perhaps taking the court sooner than he would really have liked. From very early on it was clear that Nick’s movement was seriously restricted and that he had hurt himself. Like the match before it was the third game before Nick was able to exert any significant pressure on his opponent, but unfortunately this time the Magherafelt player was just edged out in the tie break; as Stephen went on to secure victory 3/0; 11/2, 11/4, 13/11.