With thanks to some of the team members I had been given many insights about Club Team games and relished the chance to play in one. The butterflies began from the point of which I recieved a phone call from Simon Swain asking me to play on the very day of the match. I did not expect to be involved and immediately mixed emotions went through my head combining excitement and nervousness. Eventually I took on words of advice from my friend Paul Main who strictly told me to just relax and enjoy, which i took on board.

Finally we arrived and I was feeling pretty calm and confident and was looking forward to play but it was then the bombshell was thrown on me. I was first up against the MK number 5 and my nerves went sky high.

We eventually warmed up and started the game. I managed to hold the first game putting the pressure on but my opponent managed to take the lead due to my unforced errors and by that time the game was over. I was really angry at myself as I was missing shots which normally came second nature to me but due to my nerves I was just not myself.

The second game was a complete wipeout as he was just too strong. Playing really coercively to the back corners pushing me really hard and testing my agility as well as my stamina, I worked extremely hard to stay in the game.

In the final game the table started to go in my favour where I took a clear four point lead and I could see that my opponent was tired. But his experience prevailed leading to a 15-8 loss for me.

In hindsight I certainly could have played alot better than I did and was more worried about getting things right rather than playing with my natural instinct. I should have relaxed as that would have helped my develop a flow in the game which I was not really able to and raised the level to make it a tougher job for my opponent.

I was pleased to see him exhausted by the end of it as I didn't throw him the game, trying to retain some club dignity. I am so glad that I have been given this opportunity because not only is it a wake up call as to where I am in terms of my level but also I feel quite chuffed considering I have worked hard over the past year to improve my game and be more competitive. For some it may not be much, but I personally feel a sense of achievement even getting this far.

I now look forward to the next opportunity not only to prove to the club but also prove to myself that I can do better and hopefully assist LDSC2 make some loud noises in the league!