Jaimon Lidsey: 40 points in Wroclaw was our goal

6 points in 5 starts – that’s Jaimon Lidsey’s tally in the first quarterfinal match of the PGE Ekstraliga. His ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziadz lost in Wroclaw 40:50, but as the Australian admitted, they managed to achieve the minimum plan.

Grudziadz was not the favorite in the two-leg match against BETARD SPARTA Wroclaw, but the end of the regular season showed that they should not be underestimated. In the first quarterfinal match, ZOOLESZCZ GKM performed excellently for a long time at the Olympic Stadium. Ultimately, the visitors lost by 10 points, but they still have reasons for optimism before the rematch.

– For us, scoring 40 points was a bit of a goal for this match. I hope that in the rematch we can win and advance, even as the lucky loser – said Jaimon Lidsey in an interview with ekstraliga.pl after the match. – As a team, we rode really well, managing to secure a few double victories. We also had a decent finish – emphasized the Australian.

Even if they fail to make up the deficit, the results of other matches might mean that just a victory would be enough for ZOOLESZCZ GKM to take on the role of a “lucky loser”. Grudziądz will, however, try to advance further as the winners of the two-leg tie. They perform very well on their own track in matchups against BETARD SPARTA Wroclaw.

– At home, we are more confident, faster, and feel very good. Hopefully, we can take advantage of this and keep moving forward – said Lidsey.

However, fighting for victory was hampered by the weaker performance of the Australian himself. After a good start, the former Junior World Champion was slower and added only single points to his tally.

– I started well and thought the match would go better for me, but then it went poorly. I was slower and made the wrong choices regarding setup changes. It could have been better, because it can always be better, but I know that next week I can perform well enough to help win – concluded Jaimon Lidsey.

Joachim Piwek