Bruised Ireland push on to quarter-final

Badminton: Ireland endured a long and sobering second day at badminton’s European Mixed Team Championship in Leuven, Belgium yesterday, but one that ultimately ended with the team qualifying for today’s quarter-finals for the first time.

Ireland had opened the tournament on Wednesday with a superb 3-2 defeat of the hosts, which left them with one foot in the quarter-finals and they faced England in their second a Group 2 game early yesterday morning.

England, ranked number two in the tournament, proved far too strong and claimed a 5-0 win, but Ireland were still good for a last-eight place as long as England saw to Belgium last night, which they duly did with ease.

The draw for the quarter-finals was due to take place late last night.

Ireland went into yesterday’s fixture without their top women’s player, Chloe Magee, who sat out the day with a minor injury and with their number one men’s seed, Scott Evans, not playing at 100%, by his own admission.

With both their double Olympians thus compromised, it was always going to be an uphill task, against an English side whose individuals and doubles partnerships outranked their Irish counterparts in all five of the individual games.

The results backed that up.

Sam Magee and Rachael Darragh lost the opening mixed doubles encounter to Chris Adcock and Gabrielle Adcock in two closely contested sets and then Evans went down to English number one Rajiv Ouseph in the men’s singles, also in two sets.

And on it went.

Sara Boyle was bettered in the women’s singles, Joshua and Sam Magee fell in the men’s doubles and Sara Boyle and Rachael Darragh’s loss in the women’s doubles completed the rout with Ireland failing to win a single game but nevertheless earning qualification.