I finally got the chance to play badminton and I'm pleased to say, I've still got it. A combination of coincidences got me there but I'm pleased that I finally played.
So, when we first moved into Nottingham, I set out to find a badminton court. I found a couple of places on Google maps but wasn't able to actually play.
Anyway, one of the places I found was Carlton club which is coincidentally the same name with the makers of the badminton racket I use. I had actually found the place months ago but never played there even though I walked down there.
Another nice badminton coincidence is that my landlord who is a Jamaican British gentleman plays badminton. In one of our random conversations, I casually mentioned that I play badminton and just like that, my badminton fate was sealed.
So, yeah, that's how I ended up playing badminton yesterday and it was quite the experience. I played against experienced players but frankly, I didn't feel out of place.
Most of the players at the club were casuals. I also suspect that much like Nigeria, badminton isn't really a UK thing.
Most of the players at the club were casuals that I'd destroy if I got serious and had been playing since I left Nigeria. I haven't played a single game since June last year but I was still running circles around most people at the court.
The problem is that I can only play on Tuesdays and no Tuesday is promised due to my erratic work shifts. I do mostly closing shifts that everyone hates, so I think I might have some bargaining power to get Tuesdays off. Fingers crossed.