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AS OF JUNE 17TH 2008 THIS BLOG WILL CEASE AND ALL SCOTT EVANS WEB ACTIVITY WILL BE ACTIVE ONLY THROUGH SCOTT'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE AT WWW.SCOTTEVANSIRL.COM

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SCOTT EVANS

Super Series On The Cards

Hello Everyone,

Well the last week I have been keeping busy with training on and off the court. I have spent time both in the gym and on the court. Next Saturday Im heading off for a weeks holiday and Im really looking forward to that now. As I mentioned before its been 4 years since I had a proper holiday.
I have decided to enter both the Singapore and Indonesian Super Series events in June in the build up to the Olympics. I will decide closer to the time if I will travel to Asia or not. All depends on how Im feeling at the time. I don't want to go there if im not at the top of my game. As I said I will decide closer to the time. I will definitely go to US Open in July as that will be an important tournament in the build up to Beijing. Speaking of Beijing the final list should be published in the next few days so im eagerly awaiting the news that I have finally got my seat on the plane to China. We have training camps planned for Canada and China en route to the Olympics so no stone is being left unturned in our preparations.
Thats all for now folks. I will pop in when I get back from my holiday. In the meantime take care and thank you all for your support.

Scott

remember to visit Scott Evans official site HERE

A Break and US Open next for me

Hi All,

Im back home now after a pretty poor performance in the Dutch International. But im not particularly concerned. What Im focused on now is the Olympics and my preperations for that. Firstly Im going to take a well earned proper holiday. Believe it or not I have not had one for over four years. So im planning a week in the sun and im even going to leave my badminton rackets behind me. For past four years everywhere I have gone they have gone with me as sort of an extended limb.
After that my next probable tournaments will be the US open in July. I was thinking of going on the Asian loop around then to but I think I will skip that and concentrate wholy on US open and then the big one in August. I performed well on the Asian and US loop last year and gained valuable world ranking points and to keep those points you have to go back the following year to defend them. Its a wierd sort of system but its designed to get players to return to events year after year. If I dont go to Asia I will loose all the points I gained last year which will result in a drop in world ranking but I not overly concerned about that. My priority now is the Olympics in August.
Other than that I started Danish lessons last week to so I have to do some study and try and get on with that. You ever heard Danish in a Dublin accent..... Its funny!!!! Also best of luck to my good friend HK Vittinghus in today's Dutch open final. Go get em Fittinghus!!!!!

All the best

Scott

Sign Up to my Site and WIN WIN WIN

Hi all,
If you have not already signed up to the Scott Evans mailing list please feel free to go my main website at www.scottevansirl.com and to the contacts page of the site and just fill in the fields with the apropriate information. Its free and only takes a minute to do. You will then receive regular updates from Scott's site about tournaments and Scotts build up to the Olympics.
All current and new list members will then be entered into a draw for a signed Scott Evans Photograph and T shirt. Winner will be notified by email on Monday 19th May 2008.

scottevansirl.com

Dutch International Next

Hi All,

After a good week in Denmark with the Irish team and in the individual event I have decided to head down the road to Holland to play in the Victor Dutch International.
I am seeded number 4 at the event behind the two Dutch home favourites Dicky Palayma and Eric Pang with Bjoern Joppien at number 3.

My draw, like in the Europeans, has been favourable. In the opening round I face Koen Ridder another local Dutch player. He is ranked number 155 in the world but is sure to have the home fans behind him. I played him in the first round of the Scottish International in November 2007 and beat him 21-11 22-20. I will be well aware of his threat as I know his game in some ways and I hope to go and bring my European form and do the job.
If I win that game I will play either Rune Massing, another Dutch player or a qualifier. In my side of the draw I have Sven Eric Kastens of Germany who I beat in Herning last week and Erwin Kehlhoffner of France who got to the quarters in Herning in the men’s singles and the semi final of the men’s doubles. He is most likely to be my main contender for a semi final spot.
That’s all for now folks. I will drop in over the course of the tournament to let you know how it’s going. In the meantime spread the word and let people know that Irish badminton is on the up and don’t forget to drop back in to my site and blog to keep an eye on my progress on the run up to the Olympics.

All the best

Scott

Quarter Final Exit

Hi All,

I was beaten in the quarter final today 21-9 21-14 by Kenneth Jonassen from Denmark. He is just a super player and a joy to play against. I was never really in the game but I have come away from this week with my confidence back having played some really good games in the team and individual events.
What’s next you may ask………………well there is the small matter of a little tournament in Beijing to prepare for now. I’m going to take a holiday in the sun maybe and when I come back I might play an odd tournament to keep match fit.
So that’s all for now. Thanks you all so much for your support and keep checking back for regular updates on training and my career in general.

All the best

Scott

European Quarter Final Here I Come

Well it’s the morning after the night before and as most of you will probably know by now I beat Stanilslav Pukhov from Russia in three sets in last nights third round. After playing and winning my second round match earlier in the day I was feeling in good form and I knew I had the game to counteract my opponent.

It was a fierce battle and the opening set was a cagey affair. We were level at 6-6- but he got a run of 5 points and before I knew it I was 13-7 behind. I fought hard and contested every single point and pulled myself back into the match. I got closer and closer and eventually levelled the set at 17-17 and again at 19-19. He took the next two points to take the opening set and I was left with an uphill battle.

The second set was a played at a frantic pace with one player gaining the upper hand then the other. At 4-4 he rattled off 5 points to go 9-4 up and again 11-6. This was do or die for me at this stage as midway through the second set I was 5 points behind and already 1 set down. I just told myself is this the way you want to go out….Not on your life matey!!! I dug so deep, I thought of all the work Lauge and I have been putting in and told myself this is not the end. I then won 6 points without reply to take 12-11 lead and I was back in the game. He then went into an 18-15 lead and once again I had to re focus and call on all my inner strength. I rattled off 5 points to take a 20-18 lead and won the second 21-19 and I was now back in the match.

The third set was a hot headed affair and at 10-10 the match could have swung either way. At 13-10 there was an on court incident where I attacked a shuttle and unfortunately his head was in the way and the shuttle must have hurt as he started to use several four letter words over the net to me. The umpire had to interject and issue a yellow card to my Russian opponent. This proved to be a watershed in the match as I only grew in confidence and his seemed to be shattered at that point. I took complete control and ran out an easy 21-12 winner in the third.

All in all it was a very satisfying result. That’s three good wins on the trot now and a quarter final against the best player in Europe Kenneth Jonassen this afternoon. I will just go out there and give it my absolute best and who knows what may happen.

All the best

Scott

Through to European Third Round

Today has been a very good day for me as I have secured my position in the third round of the European Championships with a two set win over Sven Eric Kastens of Germany 21-19 21-19.
The first set was a very close game as Kastens took an early lead 9-6. I levelled it up at 9-9 and we continued to swap points and were level at 12-12,17-17 and 18-18. I dug deep into my mental reserves and managed to string a few points together to eventually take the opening set 21-19.
The second set was so different as at 4-4 I took control of the game and pulled away to lead 14-8. I was playing well and controlling the rallies. I felt good and really confident. But something happened mentally and I let him back into the game. Point by point he clawed his way back and at 19-14 up he won 5 straight points to level the game at 19-19.
But I was not going to let this one get away from me. I’m mentally stronger now and I just called on all my reserves again and won the next two points to take the set 21-19 and the match.
I’m so happy right now as this is my first run in a tournament in a while and all the work I have been putting in is starting to pay off. Next for me is the top Russian Stanislav Pukhov who beat English favourite Andrew Smith 21-12 21-17. Pukhov is ranked 69 in the world so I’m just going to go out there and give it my all once again and do my best to beat him.

A Good European Start

I’m just back after winning my opening game in the first round of the European Championships. I won in two sets 21-6 21-16. The first set was very uneventful. I went 8-0 up and never really looked back from there. At 8-1 I put together another streak of 5 points without reply. At 18-6 I again I put together a three point run to win the set.
The second set was a bit tighter and we were level at 5-5. I opened up a 14-8 lead and just lost a bit of concentration and let my opponent back into the game as he closed the gap to 14-13. I re focused and ended up pulling away again to win 21-16.

All in all it was a comfortable win and I was always in control I enjoyed the match. It is always good to get the opening match out of the way in any tournament. Tomorrow I play Sven Eric Kastens of Germany. He is ranked 126 in the world but I have never played him before. I’m really looking forward to the challenge as it’s always interesting to play new players.

That’s it for now. I’m off now to get some food and relax for the evening. I will pop in to say hello tomorrow and report on my game.

All the best
Scott

A Deserved Win

Hi All,

After three days of competition and a weeks hard training in Denmark the Irish team finally got the win we deserved in the European Mixed Team Championships. In our final match against Estonia we got off to the worst possible start when Chloe lost to Helen Reino 21-15 21-19 and I then lost to Raul Must 21-17 21-15. In the second set we were tied at 15-15 but he rolled of 6 straight points to take the match. That left us with a massive uphill battle to try and even just get back into the game.
In the men’s doubles Matthew and Sam played an excellent match and were never really troubled in a 21-12 21-13 win. Like the men’s doubles before Sinead and Donna were excellent and won in 2 sets. The first by 21-12 and their opponents retired in the second set. The scores were now tied at 2 each and all hinged on the last match. This was now an opportunity for Chloe and me to undo the damage of loosing our opening singles as we were to play together in the final mixed doubles. We lost the opening set 23-21 after trading point for point with our opponents. We seemed top find a grove then in the second set but at 16-16 the match could have gone either way. We rattled off 4 straight points to take a 20-16 lead and eventually won the second set 21-18. The match now hung on the last set of the last game and Chloe and I were determined to close this one out. At 5-4 up we won 9 points without reply and though the Estonian pair did their best to rally we matched them shot for shot and took the set 21-14. This gave us the win over two of Europe’s in form players in Kati Tolmoff and Raul Must but more importantly it gave us our first team win at these European Championships.
Well done to all the team and hopefully we can continue to build on this tournament as we move to the future. Tomorrow I start my individual competition and luckily I have a days rest as my game is not until late in the evening.

Euro Update

Hello Everyone,

Well the opening round robin stage of the Europeans is over and unfortunately we did not make it through our tough group. We were beaten by The Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday. This now means we go into the pot today against Finland, Iceland and Estonia in the playoff for 13 to 16 place.
There were some good performances by our young team and personally I feel my own game has improved and I’m pretty happy the way my own matches went in the round robin stages. The opening match against The Netherlands was always going to be a big ask for or you team and I played Dicky Palyama the world number 36 and lost out in three close sets. In our second game against Sweden I beat Magnus Sahlberg in my singles and had an added bonus when I won my men’s doubles with Sam Magee. In our third group game against Ukraine I had probably my most convincing win over Vladislav Druzchenko who has been performing well on the European Tour this year. I beat him in two straight sets 21-16 21-19.

Next for me now is the singles event which starts on Tuesday. Here’s hoping I take some of this form through to the individual event where I’m seeded to get through to the quarter finals. Many thanks to badmintonphoto.com for the photos above.

All the Best

Scott

Just about to leave for Herning

Hi,

This week I have had the opportunity to train with the Irish Squad at my club in Gentofte. Everything has been going well so far and everyone is certainly benefiting from the intense sessions. Erin Keery could not travel to Denmark due to injury so Donna Scott has travelled in her place. We leave for Herning in 10 minutes time and tomorrow we will play a friendly against some Danes before taking to the court on Saturday for the first games in the Euro’s.

The day before yesterday I also had the opportunity to train and play with my good friends HK Vittinghus and Jan O Jorgensen. Both these players are in really good form at the moment after performing really well at the recent Finnish Internationals in Helsinki. Unfortunately after winning the opening sets in each match I lost the following two but I feel I’m really getting back to a consistent high level of form now and I’m really pleased with the way my training and preparations have been going.

That’s all for now everyone. I will try and keep you posted through the blog and website over the course of the European Championships.

Talk Soon

Scott

Irish Invasion

Hello Everyone,

This week the whole Irish team are over for an intensive week of training prior to the European Championships. We will all train together at my club Gentofte under the watchful eye of Jim Laugesen.
I’m sure everyone will benefit from the week here and hopefully we can all bring what we learn onto the court next week in Herning.
Once again thanks to everyone who worked to make this happen as this can only be good for Irish badminton as a whole.

Talk Soon

Scott

Euro Draw

Hi All,

I have just received details of the draw for the Men’s singles for next weeks Europeans. I have got a very favourable draw where I play Blagovest Kisyov of Bulgaria in the first round. He is currently ranked 241 in the world.
If I come through that I will play the winner of Sven Eric Kastens of Germany (WR 125) and Koen Ridder (WR 151) of The Netherlands. I have Beaten Ridder on a few occasions and know his game. He is predominantly a men’s doubles player so I’m confident I can combat his style if it came to that. If I did make the ¼ finals I would most likely play Andrew Smith from England. Although he is ranked above me in the world rankings he has been on a bad run of form so again I have nothing to fear if I ended up playing him.
Obviously I’m not looking beyond my first game but I feel in really great form now so I’m looking forward to getting onto that court and doing a job for myself, my family and Ireland. I can’t wait. I have never been fitter and I feel I can now stay the pace in a close game.

That’s all for now folks. Keep visiting and thanks for your support.

Scott

All Things Positive

Hi Everyone,

My apologies for not touching base lately but I have been so busy. Training has been going really well and if im honest I don’t really think I have ever trained this hard in my life. I have spent the week running and cycling. On top have that I have been following a strict weight training routine. In between I have been working really hard on my game and I really feel I’m making big strides forward now.
On a personal note my good friend Matt Gleave has now moved to Denmark to train so I’m over the moon with this. I won the men’s doubles at the Irish Nationals with Matt so I’m looking forward to training with him and just having him around.
The whole Irish team will be coming over soon to train in preparation for the European Championships. I believe this is a real positive move and applaud all concerned for their foresight in making this happen. This can only be good for Irish badminton.
Peter Gade has withdrawn from the Europeans so now I have a chance of winning it. Just have to spike Kenneth’s drink now and that will be the other tournament favourite taken care off. Only Joking!!!!
I promise I won’t leave it as long with the next site update. Thanks again for your support and keep coming back.

All the best

Scott.

Easter Break

Hi Everyone,

After a very tough weeks training last week I took the weekend off just to relax a bit. Although I did end up on the court on Sunday morning for fun. I just can’t keep away from the courts.
I started training again this morning which involved basically the same routine as last week. Plenty of running, weights, bike and on court sessions. I played Peter Rasmussen this morning. Every now and again we meet up from a friendly on court battle and the former world champion beat me in three sets. I feel im playing really well at the moment and pretty confident about my game. I just need a few games under my belt now and my club game tomorrow night against Odense should give me that. We have already sealed promotion so there is no pressure on tomorrow night.
I’m heading home to Dublin on Thursday for 2 days and then back to Denmark again straight after that.
I have yet to decide what tournaments im going to play, if any, over the next few weeks but as it stands right now The Europeans is my goal and maybe I will fit one or two other tournaments in around that. But as I said that is all up in the air at the moment.
Once again thank you all for your support and in particular I would like to thank Liam (you know who you are) for his generous support and its people like him and others that are close to me that make all the effort worth while.
The Olympic flame is on its way now to Beijing so the countdown begins.

All the best

Scott.

Training Hard and Gentofte for Next Season

Hello Everyone,

This week I have been primarily focused on a rigid physical fitness routine. I need to get fitter than I am right now to compete at the top level. I have been running every day and weights three times a week to. This coupled with game play morning noon and night has me in the grove again.
I have my final league match next week against Odense but it’s really a formality as we have gained promotion. On that note I am delighted to announce that I have signed a new contract with Gentofte for next year so I’m really looking forward to playing premier league badminton with them. I have really enjoyed my time at the club and I’m happy to be here again for another year.
I also started Danish lessons this week so before long I will be able to talk crap in two languages….. LOL. I’m still suffering a bit with this tummy thing so I’m off to the doctor again now to see what next step is. It’s certainly not as bad as it was but its still there and niggling at me. Hopefully its nothing to serious and I can keep training.

That’s all for now folks

Scott

Visit to the Doctor

Hello Everyone,

Over the past few weeks I have been suffering a bit with a dodgy tummy with regular visits to the loo at irregular times required. Need I say anymore :)
I decided to pay a visit to the doctor yesterday to get it checked out and without going into to much detail he has prescribed me tables for some sort of inflammation in my tummy area.
I will also have to do a few tests and have already given a few samples to see can we get to the bottom of this.
Its not really effecting me as I play but has me up half the night so my sleep pattern is all over the place.
I'm the meantime I will keep working hard for the Europeans which are coming up soon and might make a decision on a EBU tournament after that to get some match practise.
And a holiday to...............Just planned one for May which will be a well earned break.

Scott

A Break Now to Re Focus My Efforts

Hi All,

Another disappointing result in Switzerland after been beaten the the first round of qualifiers by Pablo Abian of Spain. I played ok and though I had him on the racks after I levelled it up at 20-20 in the second set after been 20-16 down. But then I made a silly error by serving into the net to give him the point and he followed that up with a match point win.
Just not really happening for me at the moment but I know I have the right people around me to get me through this bad patch. I have to be able to take the rough with the smooth and I am really learning from this experience.
Whats next for me...... Well its a well earned break now. By a break I mean a tournament break. Im going to concentrate on working and working hard to get ulta fit and get my mind fit to. I know all the shots are there its just a matter of staying focused and putting the work in and I know and believe it will all come good in the end.
My next tournament will be the Europeans which are being held here in Denmark and after that well its time to focus on the big one in August.... The Olympics.

On a ligther note............Isnt it better to get the bad games out of the way now before Beijing rolls around!!

But Im here and im fighting and I will continue to fight and give it my all. All we have to do is look at Tine Rasmussen and how she has come back from a ruptured Achilles in 2006 to win 2 Super Series events this year and 3 in a twelve month period.

We can achieve anything if we put our mind to it.

Thats all for now.

Thanks for all your support to date

Scott

Swiss Super Series

Hello Everyone,

Apologies for being a bit quiet this week but I have been working really hard on my game in preparation for the Swiss SS. Im in Basle now and Im really looking forward to playing. Im just going to go out and enjoy myself this week and see what happens.
Training went really well after I got back from All England's. I have a bit of a sore throat which is annoying me but right now I just want to get out and play.
I will keep you posted as to how things go. I play Pablo Abian of Spain in the opening round of qualifiers tomorrow so log onto www.tournamentsoftware.com for all the live, as they happen, results.

Scott

Early Exit in Birmingham

Scott was beaten by Kasper Odeum of Denmark in the opening qualifying round of The All England’s in Birmingham this afternoon. In a match that lasted an hour The Dane ran out victorious in three sets 18-21 21-18 21-12.
Scott took the opening set with some precise attacking play and was leading for much of the second set until the Dane clawed it back to 16-16. Odeum then won 4 points without reply to go 20-16 up and took the second against the run of play. The tall Dane’s confidence was high and he powered home in the third set and ran out winner by two sets to one.

All England's Preview

Its Super Series time once again and this time it’s the blue riband event of the All England’s which takes place in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena starting Tuesday next 4th March.
Scott has been handed a tough draw in the qualifiers where he takes on Kasper Oedum of Denmark (WR 61) in the opening game. Should Scott advance through that match he will more than likely be matched up against the in form Dutch favourite Dicky Palyama (WR 34) in round two of qualifiers. If Scott is to take his place in the first round proper of the tournament his final qualifier game will more than likely be against world number 59 Tommy Sugiarto who beat Scott last week in the opening round of the German Grand Prix.
The reward for making it through the qualifiers will be a match against Britain’s top male shuttler Andrew Smith who himself has suffered a serious lack of form in recent months. Smith cannot be looking forward to meeting any of the players coming through this section of qualifying and if it should be Scott it is a real chance for his first ever Super Series first round win.
You can follow all the action at www.tournamentsoftware.com and keep and eye on www.badzine.info for regular tournament reports and as always visit Scott’s blog and website for match reports.

German 1st Round Exit

Hi All,

Well this morning I lost in the opening round of the German Grand Prix. I woke up this morning feeling really bad. I had a really horrible cough and my chest was killing me. I got to the arena and did my warm up but I just was not right at all. The game against Tommy started alright and we were 14-14 at one point but them my chest started to tighten and I just felt so awful. I have a really bad dose of something and I’m heading off now to the Airport to get home and try and get better before the All England’s next week.
I felt my game was in good shape for the match but unfortunately my physical condition let me down. I know that one of these days that it will all come together and I will show everyone out there what I’m capable of. This morning was just one of those unfortunate days that you just cant legislate for.

All the best

Scott

Promotion assured with 12-1 win

Hi All,

What a weekend I just had. We clinched promotion to the Danish premier badminton league with a 12-1 win over Solrod Strand on Saturday night. I played very well and won the 1st men’s singles 21-13 21-17 and won my men’s doubles 21-15 21-14. The only game we lost was the second ladies singles so all in all it was a really convincing win for my Gentofte team.
The scenes after the match were overwhelming. It was a huge burden off our collective shoulders and with that win we were all just able to kick back and celebrate into the small hours of the morning. Gentofte is just such a great club to play for and the players and the staff are just amazing to work with. I hope that we can come to some arrangement for next season that will allow me to play and build on the success we had this season.

Scott

Its Been A Busy Week

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a really busy week here in Denmark. I have had a seriously hard week of training which involved a lot of fitness work as well as court work. I have trained twice every day and I have also managed to fit in two weight sessions and those infamous bike sessions with Lauge. I had two great games with Anders Boesen and I’m about to head off to play him again this evening.
On top of all my own personal training I have had two club training sessions as we have a massive game tomorrow which will decide whether we go up to the premier league or not. We play Solrod Strand tomorrow at 2pm and if we beat them 8-5 or better we will gain automatic promotion. We already beat them 21-1 away earlier this season so we are confident going into this match.
Next week I head off to Germany to take part in the German Grand Prix. I have a tough first round draw where I play world number 55 Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia. I know Tommy pretty well as I trained with him in Saarbrucken before so that should be an interesting match.
As always you can follow the results at www.tournamentsoftware.com and check in here for updates on my games.

All the best

Scott

Austrian Withdrawal

Austrian Withdrawal

Hi all,

Well today I have had to make a really difficult decision and withdraw from the Austrian Open. I’m just feeling very fatigued at the moment after all the recent tournaments so I think it is a wise move to take a break from tournament play this week and just concentrate on my game at home and iron out a few things on court with my coach.
I have a very important club game coming up next week to and promotion rides on it so I want to be in the best shape possible for that. After that the Super Series and Grand Prix circuit comes to Europe so once again I think this week’s break will benefit me in the long run and I will be in better shape for those tournaments.

Talk soon

Scott

Euro's Update

Hi All,

Well we have just finished our final pool game here in Holland and what a great way to finish the competition. We pulled off a great result against Slovakia today to win 3-2. I played the opening singles and won 21-14 21-12. Alex Sim was up next and produced some great badminton to win 21-17 21-17. Daniel Magee lost 21-12 21-10 but myself and Sam Magee sealed the win with a 21-11 21-15 win in the first mens doubles. Matt and Daniel lost the final match in 3 sets with the score in the final set 24-22 but all in all it was a great win for us with such a young team.
Well done to all the lads on the team. They are a great bunch and we really enjoyed our time here in Holland representing Ireland. There is a bright future for irish Badminton with so many young players coming through.

The girls play later this evening and I will be more than likely flying home tomorrow as only the group winners go through to the knock out phase of this competition. Thanks to Leslie for his stewardship through the event and Next for me is the Austrian Open next week.

All the best

Scott

European Championships Day 1 Round Up

Hi All,

Day one at in Holland proved to be an exciting affair with many games won on nailbiting finishes.
I opened the show in our men's singles and had to battle through a very tough 3 setter against Vladislav Druzchenko. I won the first set 22-20 after being 20-19 behind. Thew second set saw my opponent take the game 21-17. The final set was again a very tight affair but I remained focused and came out on the good side of a 21-19 win. All in all it was a really tough game but I came through it and won. Im reliably told that it was the longest game of the day at 55 minutes.
The rest of the lads were amazing to. Alex lost his opening game 21-10 but showed real grit and determination to push the second set really close but just lost out in the end 22-20. Sam lost the third men's singles 13-21 15-21 but then played the 1st mens doubles with Daniel and lost out in two very close sets 21-23 18-21. Our Opponents conceeded that final game so the final score was 3-2 to Ukraine.

The girls also lost on the opening day but again there were some massive performances with so many of the games being so much closer than the scoreline suggests. Its such a great feeling to play for Ireland and the team and management are determined to give their all.

Today we have two tough games, but again all games are tough at this level. The lads take on the fancied Ducth team with Palayma and Pang on board and given that they are playing at home should make this a very noisy affair. The Girls take on Russia with the powerful Ella Diehl and Anastasia Russkikh. IM confident that both us lads and the girls will cause a few upsets.

Come on Ireland!!!

Promotion almost a Reality

Hi All,



Well what can i say only WOW............ Last night I played for my club Gentofte BC in a promotion battle versus our nearest rivals Triton Aalborg. This was always going to be a titanic battle but my god.... what a game.

IM now playing first men's for my club as I have passed out old Mr Boesen in the rankings so I had the honour of leading the charge agaisnt Taufik Hidiyat. What a match it was. I came through it after loosing the opening set to 14. After a yellow card for some heated shouting I regained my composure to win the next two sets to 14 & 13. It was just such an amazing feeling to win that opening game.

The match was so tight all along and when it came to my doubles game with Anders we again won in 3 sets after loosing the opening set to 18. We pulled it out of the bag by winning the next two 21-18, 21-18. God it was a titanic match. Even Lauge was getting involved in some behind the scenes dicussions. That win gave us the three points and prevented Triton getting a point for a 6-2 defeat.

The whole team went mental when we won that match. Supporters screaming and people everywhere. It was an amazing scene. You would think we had won promotion. All we have to do now is beat Solrod in our next game in two weeks and we are back in the premier league. We beat Solrod 12-1 already this season away from home so we are confident we can do this.

It is hard to describe the emotions in that hall last night but I have never experienced such excitment. Its almost 24 hours later and im still on a high and still buzzin after it.

Recent Interviews and TV reports

Hi all,

Over the past few months OB sport have been excellent in the support and coverage of badminton in Ireland. In Dec 07 they covered the Irish International Open .

Should you wish to view these recent reports and interviews please follow the links below.

Scott Interview 11th Dec 2007 and the Irish Open Dec 2008

Enjoy

Scott

Retained Irish National Title

Hello Everyone.

Im just back in Denmark now after being home for the weekend playing at the Irish Nationals. Was great to get back and see all the old faces.
I had a very fruitful weekend and won both the men's national singles title and men's doubles title with my partner Matt Gleave. It was particulary sweet to win the men's singles title as that was three in a row for me.
In the singles final I played very well and beat Alex Sim 21-9 21-8 and in the men's double we beat the Magee brothers 21-19 21-13.

Off to training now.

Scott

Popping in to say Hello

Hello Everyone,

Well I have managed to get a few minutes to drop in to say hello. It has been a hectic few days and training has been hard but really enjoyable. Yesterday I had one of those really gruelling sessions. On Court of 90 minutes then my bike ride with Lauge which was followed by weights in the evening. Tomorrow I have another hard day and I get to play my good friend HK Vittinghus in the afternoon. He is just back from a serious injury and has also been picked for Denmark for the Thomas Cup so I delighted for him for that achievement especially after the hard time he has had of late. He has his own blog that you can visit at http://www.hkvittinghus.blogspot.com/.
On Friday im returning to Ireland for the Irish Nationals but my stay will be short as Im back in Denmark on Sunday evening. Come along to Baldoyle to say hello. Would be great to see a nice crowd there.
I am starting Danish lessons to shortly as i need to get a grasp of the language. I say that will be fun!! Next for me on the International circuit is the Thomas Cup in Holland where I get to play for Ireland. I just love to play for my country, its something that Im really proud off. Then the following week its the Austrian Open.

take care all

Scott

Back In Denmark and Training Hard

Hi All,

Just popping in to say hello. Im back in Denmark now after my two weeks away in Asia. Flight home was a bit dodgy and nearly missed my connection at Paris to but not to worry all back safe and sound now.
Had training this morning and did a good weight session. I really enjoyed it. Im looking forward to the Irish Nationals in Baldoyle next week. I just love going home to play. A few days after that I have a massive club game which should decide who gets promotion to the Danish premier league so again something to look forward to. Loads of positives and loads to work on and build on.

All the best

Scott

BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE

Hello Everyone,

Its very hard to come on here and report on a second consecutive defeat in Super Series qualifiers. I was beaten today by Rajiv Ouseph 22-20 21-14. Its probably been the worst two badminton weeks for me ever when I think about it.

Im just having a crisis of confidence lately and no matter how much you try and dismiss it to back of your mind it just seems to crop up. I had a good chat with Lauge and Peter Gade after the game and they advised me as to what went wrong. Think maybe im just putting to much pressure on myself.

Anyway Im just going to continue to work and get thru this bad patch. You have to have a bad patch to appreciate the goods ones. Im heading back to Denmark on Thursday for a week then it will be back to Ireland to play in Irish Nationals in Baldoyle so Im looking forward to that and hopefully I will get that winning feeling again.

Again the guys at badmintonphoto got some good shots of me as you can see above. Thanks so much to Raphael for supplying these.

Talk soon and thank you all for your support.

Scott

Next Stop Korea

Hi all,

I arrived in Korea last night. Yesterday we had to fly from KL to Hong Kong and then from HK to Seoul. They didn't give us are boarding cards in KL for are flight to Seoul which was a little bit strange but when we arrived we suddenly realised why... they like most airlines companies had over booked the flight and because we couldn't check in before all the seats had been taken we were left scratching our heads. The next flight was not for three hours so they gave us 50 Euro and moved us up to business class for are flight. So in the end it wasn't all that bad!! We arrived in Seoul last night and then had to take a 1 hour bus journey to our hotel. The driver must have been very cold as the temperature on the bus was about 35degrees.... nightmare!!! We were glad to get out of that bus i can tell u :) This morning I am training with Peter Gade. Peter has just arrived from Denmark after missing the Malaysian Open. Kenneth Jonassen will maybe join us later on. Looking forward to training with Peter and having a good session!! I had a good sleep last night so all is good...

Talk Later Scott

Back Training

Hi All,

Well I'm back at it now after my defeat the other day. Time to put that behind me and move on. This morning I went to KLRC club in KL to train with Lauge. I have been invited there to use there facilities while I'm here in Malaysia. Its a very nice club and I enjoyed the session. It was shockingly warm though and that's something I certainly was not used to. I will train there for the next few days in preparation for Korea next week. We fly to Korea via Hong Kong on Sunday so hopefully I will be well and truly ready for my match on Tuesday. At least there is not a huge time difference this time so the body should be well and truly acclimatised.
Ok... The games have just started in the next round of the tournament so I'm going to pop down to have a look and just chill out for the evening.

Talk again soon

Scott

Malaysian Disaster

Hi all,

Well as you all probably know by now I had a very disappointing defeat in Malaysia today. I was beaten 21-14 21-14 and to say im angry with myself would be an understatement. It just did not happen for me today at all. I was just not myself and my head was not there. I was lethargic and slow and I was beaten fair and square.

There are no excuses to be made for a poor performance like that but arriving yesterday has left me really really tired today. I got up this morning and felt fine but come midday I was shattered and I just had to sleep. I only slept for 45mins and woke up absolutely wrecked. I thought that I could handle the flight and play a Super Series match all within 24 hours but I clearly could not. Lauge was furious with me after the game but we sat down then and talked it through and we vowed never to let that happen again. I need to prepare better and be in top shape mentally for such important tournaments. Neither of us can handle going through a match like that again. That is not what we are about.

On the upshot badminton photo got some nice shots of me as you can see above and I will put them up in the gallery on the main site in due course. These shots will serve to remind me of a bad day at the office and I will refer to them again in the future I know.

What do I take from this then............ Well I always try and take the positives. I know now that to travel half way around the world the day before a Super Series event is not the ideal preparation. I know that I need to put in a really hard weeks work now in preparation for Korea and use this poor performance as a stepping stone. I need to acclimatise better and do my coach, myself and you guys at home justice and prepare better. I have learned and the mistakes I made this trip I will not make again.

I'm going to sort out training facilities now for the rest of the week and I'm going to work my socks off to be ready for Korea next week.

Rant over. Thanks and talk soon

Scott.

Arrived Safe and Sound but..............

Hi All,

Well I arrived safe and sound in KL this afternoon at 3.30pm but unfortunately my bag didn't take the flight as it was left behind in Copenhagen. The Airport staff have assured me that I will have it tomorrow which is not so bad. At least my equipment bag traveled with me so I can get on with the job at hand. I might smell awful for a day or so but I thankfully I will be able to play badminton. The flight was excellent and I even managed to get a decent sleep en route which is highly unusual for me.

Im staying at the fabulous Mines Resort Hotel which is the tournament hotel. It is amazing with every facility and extra you can think off. Lets hope now I can play well and get a few games under my belt so I can enjoy the hotel for a few days.

There has been a bit of a mix up with practise time this evening as the Hall closes at 7pm and my practise time was never booked. Again not ideal but nothing I can do about that now. My game tomorrow is not until 4pm so I will get to hall early for a good warm up and practise. Its important to get the feel of the hall before a game to gauge wind conditions etc. You would be surprised how much the breeze in a hall effects the shuttle.

I have just heard that Jan Frohlich and Richard Vaughan have not travelled and both were in my side of draw which is going to make things interesting to say the least. I assume that there will be a few Malaysian reserves called upon to fill the gaps.

Ok guys.........thats it for now....

Talk Later

Scott

Badzine Editorial

Hi All,

If you visit http://www.badzine.info/ you can view a feature article on me and my career to date. Thanks to the guys at badzine for their support not only to me but to badminton as a whole.

The countdown begins

Hi all,

I had a brilliant training session last night at the club. We just played some games as we have a match on tomorrow. The games we play in the club are very important...the coaches are always looking and taking note of the results so its important that i am playing well and giving it 100% all the time. First up was a doubles :) I always like the odd game of doubles!! I had a good game with 3 of the lads from the club.
Next up was a game of singles against the number 5 in the club. I have played him alot of times so i know how he is playing so it was a handy game for me to win, but saying that i stil had to go out and play well.
My last game was against the legend himself Mr Anders Boesen :) and it was on court 5 in Gentofte which is a famous court for many people who know the history of the club!!! We have had some very good games on court 5 in the last year...I am still yet to beat him but have been very very close quite a few times!! So every time I go out to play I always try to get the first game under my belt. I think once I win the 1st time i will start to win more and more!!! Last night was no different to any other game...I went out from the start 110% getting a decent lead of 11 5. As usual Boesen crawls his way back into the game and bring its to 14 14. We had some unbelievable rallies...both of us being on the floor many times and up again and back down again!!! I will have to take a picture of my leg just to prove that diving really isn't a good idea!! Anyway we were neck and neck to 18 18 and I had a chance to lead 20 18 but hit 2 mid-court smashes in the net and Boesen led 20 18. We had a huge ralley at 20 18 and i won to make it 20 19. I could see Boesen was pretty tired...i just needed 1 point!! my heart rate was in the 170's so i new i had more left in me... but what did i do? FLICK SERVE OUT :( i could see he was moving forward before i served so i flicked and it went inches out... NOT HAPPY AT ALL!!!!! anyway that was that and went home after that and straight to bed.
Lauge and I decided that we would train at 12 today just for 1hr so we could both sleep a bit more and not do too much as I have a match for the club tomorrow!! I am playing the number 1 guy from Norway Steiner Clause. I have played him many times as we use to train together at the IBA(International Badminton Academy) now i have changed coach and he has moved back to Norway!!! So thats my plan for Saturday. Sunday Lauge and I will leave for Malaysia. Our first flight is at 1730 to Frankfurt and then we fly from there to KL. We arrive 1530 in KL on Monday and I will play my first match on Tuesday mid-day as i have a bye in the first round!!! Most likely we will go directly from the airport to the hotel and get our rooms and maybe rest for 1 hour. Then we will go to the hall to have a hit for 1 hour just to get some exercise and also get use to the hall. Its not good prep for this tournament but this team match is important so we had to stay!!! I dont think I will have a problem with playing on Tuesday though. Flying doesn't really bother me at all so a good nights sleep on Monday night and i will be ready for my games on Tuesday :)
I am really looking forward to getting out there and playing. It feels likes a long time since i had a tournament!!! Its also really good that Lauge is coming with me... I think we will have a good trip away and hopefully the results will go my way!!!

Keep checking the site as i will update with all my news as much as I possibly can

Scott

Todays Training

Howdy All

Well today was another day and another hard training session. This morning was just 1 hour and we did a multi shuttle program. It was very tough this morning but i gave it 100%!! I felt I did quite well today so that's good!! I am using my heart monitor alot now and trying to get my heart rate as high as i can and keep it high all through the training session!!
After training I have to fill out some forms for my Danish residency number. I really need to get that sorted. After that i will rest a bit before training tonight when I have Gentofte practise from 6.45pm until 9pm. After training later i will be going straight home to get some sleep for defensive training tomorrow morning at 10am. I always need to be ready for that as two of the other lads from Gentofte join our training and we give each other a hard and drive each other on. Its always fun and a bit of friendly competitive banter is inevitable!!!

Scott

Now I Know Why Im Not a Professional Cyclist

Hi Guys,

Well after a good nights sleep I was up at 8.45am this morning for training at 10am. I got a phone call from my coach Lauge to say he could not find his car keys. He had been looking for 20 minutes and could not find them. He told me to start warming up. 15 minutes later he walked in and he didn't look to happy at all.
We started off with 1 hour of technique... working at the net and from mid court forward. After that hour we went to the gym for a bike session. It has been a while since we did a bike session together so I was looking forward to that. Lauge hopped on the bike beside me and typical of him he started shouting at me to motivate me and keep me going. I had to keep my heart rate between 150 and 160 beats per minute for the long intervals and for the flat out periods I had to get it up to over 180bpm!!!! The flat out periods were 1 min each and i basically had to go 100% flat out. I had Lauge beside me the whole time shouting stuff at me that I cannot repeat here but suffice it to say it got me pumped!! For the last minute Lauge hopped off his bike and stood right in front of me shouting all sorts at me. There was one old guy in the gym with us and he must have thought we were freaks. The last minute was horrible and my heart rate got up 10 191bpm. At last it ended and all I could do was lie down for min before I even commenced my cool down. I didn't get very far on my cool down and ended up rushing outside to part with my breakfast in the most undignified manner........ The less said the better eh!!
I back home now resting and thank god I have rest of the day off before another very tough session tomorrow.

Bring it on............

All the best

Scott

My Game Against Rassmussen

Hello everyone,

Well last night I had a good training game against Peter Rassmussen. We played a total of three sets and they turned out to be three long sets to. I was leading in the first 14-6 but slowly he clawed his way back into the game and I ended up loosing it 21-19. The second set was poor from my perspective. I made several and many mistakes and ended up loosing it 21-14. The third set was much better and it was neck and neck up to 16-16. Peter then got a run of 4 points to lead 20-16 but i got those 4 points back to tie the game 20 each. But Peter then got two quick points to take the game 22-20. It was really nice playing against him. I have been training with him a good bit lately and it has always been tough but enjoyable.
Today is another busy day for me. I trained this morning with Lauge from 10am until midday. We didn't do anything major as my foot is still hurting me so we just have to be a bit careful. As I'm typing this I'm eating my lunch and after this I have to go and sort out my residency permit to stay in Denmark. I have been a bit lazy with that and put it on the long finger as I should have done this months ago:(
Tonight I have club training from 6.45pm until 9pm and afterwards we all go upstairs for dinner and that's always an added bonus. It will be straight home to bed after that as I have training again in the morning at 10am.

Talk soon

Scott

Its Monday and what a way to get back at it

Hi Guys,

Well its Monday and I was supposed to go and pick Lauge up from the Airport this morning as he was in Ireland coaching U15's and U17's for the weekend. He was to arrive on the 6.40am Aer Lingus flight from Dublin but with delays and the fact that he is just not feeling well today we have postponed training for today.
There I was thinking I would have a nice easy day but thats not the way it works im afraid. In place of training I have a match against the legend that is Peter Rassmussen at 5pm. I always like playing Peter. He still plays in the elite league in Denmark even though he is now a full time doctor. I beat him the last time so I would think he is out for revenge.
Im going to go down to the hall beforehand and do some footwork drills. I hurt my foot on Friday so Im hoping it will be ok. Im going to hook up with my friend Christian to and get some food and just relax for an hour or two. Later on tonight I will meet up with Lauge to discuss arrangements for Asia next week.

That's all for now and I will let you know tomorrow if I managed to keep my winning streak against Rass going.

Scott

Its A New Year

Hi All,

Well Im back in Denmark now after taking a well earned rest over the Christmas period. While I was home I continued training and working on my fitness in order to keep in shape for the upcoming Malaysian and Korean super series events.
While I was home I took part in the Xmas Xhibition at Whitehall Road and had great fun and even got to play Santa. Thanks so much to all the 300 spectators who attended and made it a great fun for us who were playing.
I got back to Denmark last night but only just after sitting on the tarmac in Dublin for 2 hours before taking off due to some air traffic problems around Copenhagen. I was longer on the tarmac than I was in the air.
I now have 11 days to prepare for my Super Series exploits and a game for my club Gentofte on the 12th Jan will set me up nicely for those events. I fly out with Lauge my coach on the 13th and play in the qualifiers of the Malaysian SS on 15th. I have a bye in the opening qualifying round and then play the winner of the Abian (WR 48) ,who I beat in our last meeting, and Hsien (WR 53) in the second round of qualifying. The draw has been kind to me and I am confident of making it through but I will have to perform to the best of my ability as these players are class players in their own right. Should i get to the final of qualifying I will most probably meet Richard Vaughan from Wales as he is the highest seed in my half. The reward for making it to the 1st round proper on the 16th is a game against world number 5 Peter Gade........ Wouldn't that be just perfect.
I cant wait now and I completely focused on going out there and playing to the best of my ability. Having my coach with me is a massive boost so I look forward to some good tournaments. I look forward to keeping in touch with you all while I'm on tour so check the forum and chat pages on my main website www.scottevansirl.com when you have a minute.

All the best for 2008

Scott