When the dust has settled Wilmslow’s Matthew Nottingham insists he will look back with pride on his outing at the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham.
Nottingham and mixed doubles partner Lauren Smith came through two rounds of qualifying before meeting Thai No.7 seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam in the main draw.
And if it was a big ask on paper then it was an even bigger ask on the court as Nottingham and Smith lost that first-round clash 21-15, 21-16 at the NIA in the West Midlands.
Nottingham was disappointed with the defeat but insists with time he’ll reflect on a positive outing and be determined to learn from the best pairings in the world.
“In a couple of days it will still be hurting but we will watch it back and analyse it and hopefully we can take a lot from it,” said Nottingham.
“It was my first time in the first round of the All England Open so to get there with Lauren is an honour for me.
“In its own right it is something that shows we have stepped up and that we’ve worked on what we needed to work on to get to that level which we’re happy with.
“But obviously the result wasn’t what we wanted. They were the seventh seeds and top ten in the world and they’ve been higher than that as well.
“He’s a really good player and she’s very good around the net, they were quite steady, dipping in and out a little bit and had the edge out there.
“We’re not really an established pair so I think to win 15 and 16 points against a pair that are ranked in the top ten in the world is something that we can be really proud of.”
Nottingham didn’t just compete in the mixed doubles at the All England Open but also the men’s doubles with Chris Coles – although they lost in the last round of qualifying.
Their conquerors were fellow English pair Peter Briggs and Harley Towler and Nottingham is certain that he will be back stronger on both fronts next year.
“Our plan is to take it one round at a time so next year we will look to at least get to the second,” he said. “I’d like to continue playing with Lauren as much as I can because I really enjoy it.
“Maybe it’s a bit optimistic but it would be good if we could get seeded for next year so we just need to push on.”
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