Friday 3 October 2014 10:03, UK
Surrey Smashers travel to Milton Keynes Badminton in one of two National Badminton League opening fixtures on Monday, and Gabby Adcock believes her new side has what it takes to go all the way in the competition.
I believe we can push the other teams all the way to win the league
“We’ve got a great squad of players and we’ve already got a great team spirit,” said Adcock. “I believe we can push the other teams all the way to win the league and we’ll be looking to start with a good performance at Milton Keynes on Monday.”
Adcock is no stranger to success after winning gold, silver and bronze at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games over the summer, but she is excited for the inaugural NBL to get underway.
“For badminton this is absolutely huge. We’ve been trying to get a national league setup for a while now, and all the players are so excited to finally get going on Monday,” she added.
“The new scoring system is sure to make for fast, exciting games and we want everybody to get behind the players and make a lot of noise.”
Adcock also hopes that the new league and increased exposure will help inspire the young badminton players of the future and encourage more people to get involved in the sport.
“For the next generation of young badminton players it’s great that they’ll get to see this competition live on Sky Sports and get the chance to taste the atmosphere in person at NBL fixtures near them,” she concluded.
Coach Hayley Connor has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from on the night, including Adcock, fellow Commonwealth Games star Chris Langridge and Dutch international Eefje Muskens.
Surrey Smashers will kick off their National Badminton League season away to Milton Keynes Badminton on Monday evening, live on Sky Sports 3HD from 7.30pm.
