Cornwall 1 v Somerset 2, 14.12.13

 Christmas comes early for the 1^st team

A wet and windy day brought Somerset to Polkyth Leisure Centre to take on Cornwall’s top badminton players, who were seeking to bounce back following a chastening defeat to Dorset a couple of weeks ago.

This time the Cornish singles players were in no mood to compromise and raced to a 4-0 match lead, with both Shane Maton and James Whetter winning easily, closely followed by the ladies, Rose Willis and Jo Philp who also won in straight sets, getting the team off to a fine start.

The men powered on in the doubles, James and Guy Michell particularly dynamic and overwhelming the Somerset opposition in both games, although Shane and Ross Lashbrook were disappointed to lose one of theirs to a pair of young players.

Somerset fought back in the ladies, taking all 4 games , despite both of our pairs going close with 3 ends against an experienced duo. Emily James and Vicki Thomas displayed great fighting spirit to narrowly win the second end after a heavy defeat in the first, but finally just lost out.

With the score at 7-5, the match was finally balanced going into the final 3 games of mixed – would Somerset win all 3 and gain an unlikely victory, or would the home team edge the one game they needed to clinch the match?

Any doubt quickly disappeared as number 1’s James and Jo continued their impressive form and won comfortably in 2 sets, showing great skill and reaction speed to outclass their opponents.

Shane and Vicki, followed suit, also winning well in two ends against a father and daughter pair who had also looked a potential threat.

The final game, saw Ross and Rose needing to win to give the team maximum points, and this turned into a nail-biting 3 ends with the Cornish pair losing the first end heavily. Thankfully they stormed back to take the next two, Ross’s power and Rose’s steady hand seeing the home side triumph, to win the match 10-5 overall.

The team’s next home match is on January 12^th when Wiltshire come to take on the 1^st team – all spectators welcome.

Team –

Shane Maton, James Whetter, Guy Michell, Ross Lashbrook, Rose Willis, Jo Philp, Emily James, Vicki Thomas

Cornwall 2 v Isle of Wight 1

Our latest contest saw the 2nds take on Isle of Wight 1^st team at Polkyth in what was hoped to be continuation of an on-form Cornish side. In order to give our side a fighting chance of promotion it was important to demonstrate depth of ability in singles, doubles and mixed. Recent contests involving Isle of Wight have been unpredictable, as they have the ability to field out a strong team, but appear to struggle to do this on a consistent basis. On this occasion however, the islanders appeared to have fielded a competent composition of players.

Kris Jasper took on a formidable challenger in the first singles, scoring our first rubber of the day. Dave Harrington’s attempt to make friends with his opposition resulted in Brian Hannibal acting as scorer for the men’s second singles, which Dave comfortably won in straight games. The ladies saw Hester Luke maintain consistent form, winning in two ends, whilst new recruit Beth Wotton eventually lost out in two tight games. After singles, Cornwall – 3 Isle of Wight - 1

In one of our strongest events, men’s doubles saw our team notch up another four rubbers. Against the first pairing, veterans Kahoo Tse & Anthony Clark took a mid-game snooze, losing the second end only to take the third comfortably and beating the second pairing with little resistance in two ends. Richard Townsend & Dave remained focused winning both doubles in straight games. On the ladies side, Laura Harper & Lynda Beer struggled against an experienced first pairing but redeemed themselves against the second pairing. In our second partnership Hester & Beth displayed a composed performance, having been taken against both pairings to three sets but coming out on top in fine style. After doubles, Cornwall – 10 Isle of Wight - 2

With all three points secured and mixed doubles still to come, Cornwall 2nds were under no pressure to win their mixed but would use this as a training opportunity for tougher matches to come. Experienced pairing Kahoo & Lynda started where they finished last season, exhibiting a controlled and consistent game that produced an impressive win against their opposition. Dave & Laura complemented our first mixed, disposing a good second pairing in straight games. Isle of Wight obtained only their third rubber of the match, getting the better of Kris & Hester. Final score, Cornwall – 12 Isle of Wight - 3

With a perfect success rate of three points from three matches and no fixtures until next February, the 2nds can enjoy Christmas and New Year and have plenty of time to burn off those Christmas calories before our next competition.

For full results follow this link

More Bonanza winners pics

more Bonanza winners

Bonanza 2013

A Bonanza of Badminton, Carn Brea Leisure Centre, 23^rd November 2013

Over 80 badminton players from all over Cornwall joined our visitors from Devon and Gloucestershire, at Carn Brea Leisure Centre at the weekend to take part in Cornwall Badminton Association’s Bonanza.

The idea of Badminton Bonanza tournaments is to give both social players and those who play league badminton a chance to try out and develop their skills against different players. The many regulars were joined this time by some very welcome new faces, as the tournament goes from strength to strength, with any profits going towards developing new clubs in Cornwall.

This year’s tournament at the Pool centre was another great success, and many thanks go to the Carn Brea staff who came to the rescue when our original venue, the new Truro School sports hall  cancelled at the eleventh hour. The visiting Gloucestershire players proved hard to beat in the league section, winning the men’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles, although the Cornish girls were too strong in the ladies singles and doubles and they won through in these finals.

The social section again gave the chance for the local players to shine, and they triumphed in the men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles, with the ladies singles and doubles just going to the Gloucestershire girls, before their long trip home.

 Results:

Singles Social mens winner – Martin Penney, runner up Jake Turpie

Singles League mens winner – Simon Gay, runner up James Newman

Singles Social ladies winner – Lizzy Seabridge, runner up Julie Norbury

Singles League ladies winner – Kassy Bull, runner up Kelly Freeman

Mens doubles social winners –Bill Edgar and Chris McCarthy

                                Runners up – Mike Ezra and Martin Penney

Mens doubles league winners – Simon Gay and James Newman

                                Runners up – Simon Forni and Adam Hauser

Ladies doubles social winners – Lizzy Seabridge and Julie Norbury

                                Runners up – Zelda Bennett and Marnie Boston

Ladies doubles league winners – Debbie Blight and Kay Bossenger

                                Runners up –  Val Reed and Jessica Reed

Mixed doubles social winners –Chris McCarthy and Tamsyn Cleave

                                Runners up – Adam Hauser and Lizzy Seabridge

Mixed doubles league winners – Simon Gay and Kelly Freeman

                                Runners up – James Newman and Julie Norbury

TRURO BONANZA NEWS:

We have been told today by Truro School that they have double booked us for the Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Hall and so cannot accommodate us on Saturday, which is very disappointing.

Thankfully, Carn Brea Leisure Centre, in Pool, TR15 3QS http://www.carnbrealeisurecentre.co.uk/ have come to the rescue, and we will be going there to the 8 court hall (with a café!) on Saturday instead.

Many apologies for this, but it was out of our hands - and we will still have a great tournament!

Cornwall 2 v Wiltshire 3

Following an emphatic opening win this season, the Cornwall 2nds were out to prove that this was not a fluke but the signs of a progressively improving team. On the quest for their second win of the season, between them was a Wiltshire squad seeking revenge for a resounding defeat at Polkyth several weeks ago, and a gruelling 3.5 hour journey to Melksham. With the majority of the team escorted via minibus to our destination our team had ample time to warm up and get our “game heads” on. Continuing with our versatile approach to team selection, several new old faces showed up to provide Cornwall with extra experience and talent. Bronwen Wotton, recovering from an injury stepped in, as well as Daphne Luke to add composure to our ladies doubles pairings.

The match kicked off with men’s singles represented by Kris Jasper and Dave Harrington and women’s singles with Hester and Daphne Luke, three of which went to deciding ends. Most importantly all four singles concluded in favour of Cornwall with Hester winning comfortably in straight sets. The men’s doubles appeared in cruise control, with Kahoo Tse & Anthony Clark winning against both Wiltshire pairings and new pairing Dave Harrington & Richard Townsend continuing the winning streak. 

Not to be outdone the Cornwall ladies increased the lead, Bronwen and Laura Harper winning both rubbers, including a nail-biting 30-29 third set match versus Wiltshire second pairing. Sisters Hester and Daphne Luke added another rubber to the tally, bringing the overall score to 11-1 in Cornwall’s favour, prior to the mixed doubles.

A hard fought contest saw Kahoo & Bronwen win in three sets, with Dave & Laura, and Kris & Hester speeding through in straight sets to see Cornwall complete a phenomenal 14-1 win over Wiltshire 3rds. 

The talent and tenacity shown by the players to win tight games shows the determination and characteristic of a team that is not to be trifled with. A job well done by some of Cornwall’s finest.

A long and hard day’s endeavour left our team with appetite for success and an curious craving for Krispy Kreme doughnuts…

A special thanks to Kath Wotton for aiding in transportation facilities.

For full results follow this link

Under 11s Workshop

Badminton for Under 11s Workshop

Saturday 11^th January 2014 10.00 am – 3.00 pm

Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Hall, Truro School.

Cost? It’s Free!

Who is the workshop for? Anyone who is interested in U11 badminton (Coaches, Teachers, Helpers etc).

What to expect: 2 Hour workshop session on FUNdamentals, a look at U11 Badminton coaching resources,  Primary School Games Badminton, a practical workshop looking at all aspects of a U11 Badminton session, information on Cornwall Youth Badminton for U11s, advice and help on setting up under 11 badminton clubs and much more.

To register your place or for further information please contact:  Jeremy Roberts on 01726 879606 or email jeremyroberts@hotmail.com

Cornwall Badminton 1st team off to a flying start

Cornwall – 11,  Avon – 4

A wet and windy day outside saw Cornwall’s top badminton players start their season with a fine win over the travelling Avon team, at Polkyth Leisure Centre at the weekend.

It was advantage Cornwall right from the start, as Avon came with only two ladies, giving the home team a 3-0 boost before a shuttle was hit.

But the Cornish single players didn’t need any extra help as all 4 stormed to victories in impressive style, with new County champions Shane Maton and Rose Willis seeing off their opponents, quickly followed by James Whetter and Jo Philp with equal power and precision.

The Avon doubles teams set about fighting back, and the solo ladies pair were victorious against both of our women’s pairs, although Jo and Rose were desperately unlucky to lose their game after 3 exciting ends, and a final questionable line call. Emily James and Vicki Thomas came up against a determined pair who gave no quarter in 2 ends.

The mens results were split down the middle, both teams winning 2 games, with only one going the full distance, when James and Guy Michell, the experienced duo just losing out in a close fought battle. The newer pairing of Shane and Ross Lashbrook had looked good against the top Avon men, but struggled more against the second pair.

So the match was already won going into the mixed, but at least another game was needed for maximum points, and James and Jo duly obliged, but not before a slight scare in the second end at 12-18 down, before finally seeing off the Avon opponents 22-20.  Shane and Vicki followed this up with the last victory of the day, going to 3 ends but winning in fine style in the third as they outran and outsmashed the tiring Avon pair.

Cornwall team –

Shane Maton, James Whetter, Guy Michell, Ross Lashbrook, Rose Willis, Jo Philp, Emily James, Vicki Thomas.

Cornwall 2 vs Wiltshire 3

Another season, another chance for promotion from the league that has frustrated the second team on so many occasions…To recap last season our team fought tirelessly throughout the year only to have missed promotion by the closest of margins. Could this season see the seconds get the result they deserve?

Our first match saw the team take on Wiltshire 3 home at Polkyth. A number of new faces debuted the fixture, including several fine up-and-comers from the county junior pack. Men’s singles saw newcomer Jake Brazewell and Dave Harrington representing Cornwall, with Hester Luke and Amy Polglase taking on their female counterparts. A hard fought match saw Jake lose his first singles, with Dave winning in three, notching our first rubber of the season. Not to be outdone both girls saw off their opposition in straight games.

Due to injuries and other reasons, our double pairings saw the emergence of modified partnerships, some that had yet to be tested in competitive action. Kahoo Tse saw himself combined with new partner Tony Clark, whilst Dave found himself playing alongside Chris Glasson. The doubles saw our men continue their fine form from last season, beating both Wiltshire pairings comfortably in straight games. For the ladies, Lynda Beer found herself reunited with old club partner Laura Harper and Hester pairing with previous juniors partner Kellen Moore. The Wiltshire ladies’ doubles were expected to put up a fight, their 1st pairing having not lost against Cornwall during both meetings last season. Much to Cornwall’s delight our ladies continued where the men finished, beating Wiltshire 1st pair and taking 3 of 4 rubbers, Hester and Kellen losing a tightly fought 3 ender. 

Entering the mixed doubles winning 10-2 Cornwall had safely secured the maximum 3 points from the match. Three new pairings saw Dave & Lynda, Kahoo & Amy and Chris & Laura attempt to earn Cornwall’s first 13-2 victory. A comfortable win for Chris & Laura, followed by a tight contest involving Kahoo & Amy found Cornwall notching an additional two rubbers. Another tense contest with Dave & Lynda saw Wiltshire snatch their third rubber of the match. 
An inspiring win for Cornwall 2 demonstrated the depth of ability within the Cornish county squad. A particularly impressive debut for juniors Kellen and Amy competing at senior level. Today’s performance is hopefully a sign of things to come for a re-vamped (and rejuvenated) Cornwall team.

Cornwall 2 vs Wiltshire 3    12 - 3 

For full results of the match follow this link

Cornwall Badminton County Championships

NEW CHAMPIONS

The cream of Cornwall’s badminton players converged on Polkyth Leisure Centre on 28th/29th September for the two day annual Championships, entertaining the many spectators with exciting play and high standards. Once again, there was a large entry from Cornwall Youth Badminton’s fast improving young players, showing the excellent foundation that Cornish Badminton is built upon.

Two new singles champions emerged victorious on the first day, Shane Maton and Rose Willis, both coming from under the shadows of the number 1 seeds and holding champions, James Whetter and Jo Philp.

Ladies & Mens Singles Winners & Runners up

Rose had narrowly lost to Jo last year, but finally triumphed for the first time and took a deserved victory over Hester Luke in the final with her consistent and steady play. Jo had been beaten in a tight game in the quarter finals by 15 year old Kellen Moore in the first shock of the day, after Kellen had narrowly beaten Emily James in the first round. Kellen then came up against Hester in the semis, and this turned out to be a 3 ender too far, with Hester’s power and precision proving too much for the younger player.

Then the second surprise of the weekend came in the mens singles, when defending champion, the experienced James Whetter was knocked out by the speedy, skilful Kris Jasper in the semi finals. The top 4 seeds had made it comfortably through to the semis, with Ross Lashbrook losing to Shane Maton in the other half of the draw. The battle of the left handers in the final saw Shane’s fitness and speed around the court triumph over Kris in two ends, and he re-gained the title he had won 2 years ago.

The ladies doubles was played on the first day following the singles, and this was another exhibition of cool, mature play from the promising young pair of Kellen Moore and Amy Polglaze, who reached the final by knocking out the number 2 seeds, Emily James and Vicki Thomas. But they were no match for the strength and determination of Jo Philp and Rose Willis who retained their title with style in the final.

Ladies Doubles Runners up & Winners 

The second day saw more great badminton, this time with the men’s doubles and the mixed, when the tension and excitement was notched up again.

The biggest crowd ever seen for a mixed doubles match was treated to the best final of the weekend, when first and second seeds James Whetter/Jo Philp and Shane Maton/Vicki Thomas clashed in 3 close fought ends. Some stunning net play by Jo and unplayable service returning from Shane had the crowd gasping and enthralled, before James and Jo finally retained their crown. Before this, both semi-finals had been tight affairs over 3 ends which could have gone either way, as new pairings of Guy Michell/Emily James and Tom Lyle/Rose Willis pushed the top seeds all the way before just losing out.

With the final event the men’s doubles competition, the spectators were once again treated to some fast, attacking badminton and great defensive play on show. Once more, the top 2 seeds were largely untroubled on their route through to the final, which saw James and Guy take on Tom and Ross in a repeat of the previous year’s final. This year James and Guy proved too strong for the younger pair, and they won in 2 ends with a combination of sheer power and deft cross court play.

Results:

Men’s singles – Shane Maton bt Kris Jasper 21/14 22/20

Ladies’ singles – Rose Willis bt Hester Luke 21/17 21/12

Men’s doubles – James Whetter/Guy Michell bt Tom Lyle/Ross Lashbrook 21/19 21/14

Ladies’ doubles – Jo Philp/Rose Willis bt Kellen Moore/Amy Polglaze 21/13 21/15

Mixed doubles – James Whetter/Jo Philp bt Shane Maton/Vicki Thomas 11/21 22/20 21/16

Plate result - winners

Mens singles – Chris Glasson                 

Ladies singles – Daphne Luke

Mens doubles – Bob Bell/Nick Phelps  

Ladies’ doubles – Beth Wotton/Beth Rich

Mixed doubles – Lee Chapple/Hester Luke

2013 West Cornwall Badminton Bonanza

The 2013 West Cornwall Badminton Bonanza Tournament will be held on 23rd November, from 9am – 5:30pm.

The event is taking place at the brand new 8 court sports hall, at Truro School.

The Bonanza is designed to be an easy and fun way to play new people, and an opportunity for players who perhaps haven't picked up a racket for some time to get back into the game.

Separate Social and League Categories mean that all standards are catered for, with Senior county level players not being eligible to play.

The structure of the day will be:

• Level doubles – early morning
• Mixed doubles – approx midday
• Singles – mid afternoon

Entry forms can be downloaded here

2013/2014 New Season Information

The Cornwall Restricted Championships are due to be held on the 28th/29th September, and the entry form can be downloaded here.

The training dates are now in the Cornwall Badminton Google calendar to the right of the page - just click to add them to your own calendar.

For more information and a registration form, see the download section also to the right.

Forms for the Duchy Open can be downloaded here.

Diary Dates

For the forthcoming season, some key event dates have now been finalised as follows:

September

• 1st: Open practice for all, 1-5pm Polkyth
• 8th: Trials for 1st, 2nd, 3rd team, 10am-5pm, Polkyth
• 15th: Training, 1-5pm Polkyth
• 21st/22nd: Cornwall Open Pool
• 28/29th: Restricted Champs, 10-6pm both days, Polkyth

 

December

•  29th: Under 21 champs, 10-5pm Polkyth

 

January

•  5th: Vets champs 10-5 Polkyth
• 11th/12th: Vets weekend

CORNWALL 2ND TEAM REPORT – SEASON 12/13

PLAYED 8 - WON 6, LOST 2

Unusually, the Kernow 2nds did not get off to the best of starts this season with a narrow defeat (7-8) to Somerset III. This was quickly put into the dim and distant past, and with Seb (the flying Frenchman) and Kris (our singles specialist) swelling the ranks, the black and golds were going to be a team to be reckoned with.

The next 3 fixtures saw our guys and gals victorious against the IOW, Wiltshire, and much to the Managers’ gratification,….Devon. After Xmas, we carried on in the same winning vein by reversing our fortunes against Somerset III and winning 8-7. February saw a comfortable victory against Wiltshire where maximum points were secured. With 2 matches left, we were beginning to wonder, again, whether this year would be the year that the 2nds would achieve their much deserved promotion.

The penultimate match against Devon was hard fought, but not the result that we wanted, - losing it 6-9. This now meant that there were 2 other teams as well as ourselves in the battle for promotion.

As in the best sporting traditions, events came down to the last match of the season. The Cornish team travelled to the IOW and the match started well with victories in 3 of the 4 singles disciplines, with our ladies doubles teams carrying on the winning theme, but alas, DISASTER struck when Sebastien sustained a serious knee injury in his first game of mens doubles and had to withdraw from the rest of the match. Remarkably, even though we had to concede 2 rubbers to the Islanders, everyone dug in deep and we managed to secure a narrow win 8-7. Unfortunately this was a hollow victory as we were aware that this may not be enough to secure promotion for us and our fortunes were dependent on the results from the fixture between Devon and Wiltshire which was being played at the same time. The Players and Manager alike had an agonising wait until well into the evening until the news broke that Devon had won their match, and with it the necessary 3 points needed for their promotion. We were all absolutely gutted! Once again, so close.

However, time is a healer, and given this season’s exemplary and gritty performances by everyone who has played for the 2nds, I know that promotion will be just around the corner.

Squad for season 2012/13

Jan Santillo, Lynda Beer, Laura Harper, Emily James, Hester Luke, Daphne Luke, Kath Wotton

Dave Harrington, Kahoo Tse, Seb Emery, Jack Dyer, Sam Spencer, Kris Jasper, Tom Lyle, Chris Cooper

Team Manager – Lorna Riggs

Cornwall finish the season in style

Cornwall’s top badminton players took on rivals West Glamorgan, who made the long trip to St Austell at the weekend for the last match of the season. This was the Cornish team’s first time in Division 3 which had proved very challenging, so they were hoping for a good result to sign off the year in front of a large home crowd.

Once again, the Cornish boys got off to a flying start in the singles, with both Shane Maton and James Whetter notching up fine wins, while Rose Willis and Emily James found it harder going against the Welsh girls.

James paired up with his regular partner Guy Michell to take both mens doubles, with Tom Lyle, returning from his honeymoon to play alongside Ross Lashbrook and winning both of their games in scintillating style.

For the girls it was a hard afternoon, but Rose and Bronwen Wotton, playing her best badminton of the season, beat the top Welsh pair, and were unlucky to just lose their other game. Emily and Vicki Thomas fought hard in their doubles, but lost out in both.

The home team needed just one more game to take the match going into the mixed, and Ross and Bronwen proved unplayable and duly obliged. Although James and Rose lost to the top pair, Shane and Vicki took the third mixed, after 3 ends of great defence and long rallies, to give the final match score – Cornwall 9, West Glamorgan 6.

Shane, Ross, Tom and Guy took the honours for winning 100% of their games, but player of the match went to Bronwen, for her excellent tactical play and stunning net shots.

The team are to be congratulated for holding their own in this tough division, especially the boys, and will look forward to next season and more victories like this one.

Cornwall II miss out on promotion in dying moments of season

The 24th March saw the Cornwall 2nd team make the mammoth journey to Sandown for the much anticipated season’s finale against the Isle of Wight. After some intense calculations from our boys on the ferry, we knew we were a point clear of Devon, and that taking the full 3 points against the Isle of Wight would guarantee league victory and a long-awaited promotion. Having beaten the Island team 11-4 at home, our hopes were running high.

It was a promising start with Emily James, Daphne Luke and Seb Emery all wining their singles convincingly and Dave Harrington narrowly losing out to a strong singles specialist from the home team. Our momentum continued to build as Jan Santillo and Lynda Beer quickly disposed of both Isle of Wight pairings with some clinical ladies doubles. Emily and Daphne followed suit, securing victory in their first doubles match but losing out in two ends to the Isle of Wight’s first pairing.

At 6-2 up, the 3 points looked well within our grasp. However, disaster stuck, as Seb sustained a severe knee injury whilst playing his mens doubles with Dave Harrington in their first game, and had to hop off court. The injury meant he was unable to play his other disciplines. Despite an impressive debut for Chris Cooper in two well fought three-end thrillers with partner Kahoo Tse, the Isle of Wight racked up four wins in the men’s doubles to draw the match even again at 6 rubbers a piece.

A strong performance in the mixed doubles from Kahoo and Lynda inched Cornwall ahead but once again the Isle of Wight hit back, this time against the scratch pairing of Jan and Chris. Emily and Dave clinched the fixture with a tense three ender against the Isle of Wight second pair, with Cornwall gaining an 8/7 victory, and thus 2 points. Now all we could do was to agonisingly wait for the results from Devon’s match (who were playing Wilts) to see whether 2 points would be enough to gain League victory. With utter disappointment, we discovered that Devon had done enough to overtake us by winning 15-0 and attaining all 3 points, and Cornwall was yet again thwarted from gaining promotion in the dying moments of the Season.

With the league winner and promotion being decided on a point count-back, this goes to highlight that every match in the season counts. After three years of missing out on promotion, and by such a fractional margin, Cornwall II will be fighting harder than ever before next season to finally escape the clutches of Division 6.

CORNWALL U21 INTER COUNTY CHALLENGE (ICC)

REDBRIDGE SPORTS CENTRE, ILFORD, ESSEX - 6th – 7th APRIL 2013

TEAM MEMBERS:

KRIS JASPER (LAUNCESTON), HESTER LUKE (PENZANCE), CHRISTIAN JASPER (LAUNCESTON), DAPHNE LUKE (PENZANCE), SAM SPENCER (PONSANOOTH), BETHANY WOTTON (LEEDSTOWN), ROSS LASHBROOK (LAUNCESTON), BRONWEN WOTTON (LEEDSTOWN)

The prestigious U21 Inter County Challenge (ICC) took place this weekend and saw 20 counties from the length and breadth of the country compete and perform some top quality badminton. The teams were split into 4 groups of 5. The group phase took place on Saturday and the play off stage on Sunday. Cornwall was unfortunately in a very strong group and anticipated some challenging matches ahead.

We started our campaign at 9.30am with a tough match against an experienced Worcestershire team. Launceston’s Kris Jasper won a superb opening singles match, but Worcester who went onto win the group proved too strong and took the 5–1 win.

Our next group match v the home side Essex saw Kris perform some fantastic badminton to overcome an impressive opponent and get the match off to another excellent start. Our doubles pairings of Ross Lashbrook & Sam Spencer, Bronwen Wotton & Daphne Luke all fought hard but found the opposition too tough, as did Hester Luke representing us in the Women’s Singles event. Going into the mixed we were 3-1 down. Our experienced pairing of Ross Lashbrook & Bronwen Wotton won a tough three ender with our second mixed pairing: Christian Jasper & Bethany Wotton losing after a brave fight, giving a final result of 4-2 in Essex’s favour.

Group match 3 v Lancashire, who were another impressive side, saw a disappointing 6 – 0 loss for our team. The score did not reflect the energy and effort of our players who as always gave everything they had. 4 of the matches could have gone our way, but the Lancashire team held their nerve and proved the better side on the day.

Our last match on the first day of the group stage was against Cambridgeshire, a team we lost to closely in last year’s ICC, and a match that held great promise of a win. Kris once again produced some magic to secure a fine straight set win in the men’s singles. Our men’s doubles pairing of Ross & Sam made short shrift of their opponents with a spirited performance taking the match to a cliff hanging 2 - 2 going into the mixed doubles. Bronwen & Ross proved too strong and won comfortably. After much nail biting Kris Jasper & Bethany overcame their opponents in a marathon 3 ender, which clinched the match 6-4. This placed us in 4th position in our group going into the playoff stage of the competition to be held on the second day.

Our first match on Sunday was against Derbyshire and the fixture started well with Kris and Hester both winning tough 3 enders, which gave us a 2 -0 lead after the singles. Ross and Bronwen again showed their experience with another impressive mixed victory. Unfortunately, we lost 2 very close 3 enders in the men’s doubles and 2nd mixed doubles and with our women’s doubles also losing we were left with a tied 3-3 match. With both sides also level in ends it came down to points: three points that were in Derbyshire’s favour, therefore they took the win. This was the closest match of the whole event! So close and such a shame it didn’t go our way and was a strong reminder that every point counts!

This left us playing off for 15th or 16th position in our final match of the competition against Surrey. Our players quickly shook off the disappointment of losing the last match so closely and went about their task of securing a win with great conviction. Hester, full of confidence following her earlier win played a tough opponent and was able to prove her mental strength and skill by winning in 2 very close ends. Kris took his match with another superb display of great racket skills and dynamic movement, giving him a total of 6 wins out of 7 matches, and made him our best performer of the weekend! Both our doubles pairings: Ross & Sam and Bronwen & Daphne were able to close out tough 3 enders with gritty performances. Bronwen & Ross took their 4th mixed win out of 6 matches with ease. Christian and Beth were unlucky in the final match going down closely in 3 ends. The final score was an excellent 5 – 1 win, which confirmed our overall position of 15th. This is our highest ICC placing and a great platform to build on in the years ahead.

CAMELFORD 4TH TIME WINNERS

West Briton Cup Final 2012/13 Report

Camelford Badminton Club retained the West Briton Cup last Friday 22nd March 2013, at Polkyth Leisure Centre after a closely encountered match, against Mounts Bay Badminton Club, who had beaten St. Austell Bay in the semi-final with Camelford having beaten CYB to reach this closely contested final.

The Teams of:-

Camelford – Jo Philp; Rachel Stacey; Claire Walkey; Rob Cook; Rob Heckbert; Tony Marshall.

Mounts Bay – Vicky Thomas; Vicky O’Connell; Marianne Fowler; Lee Chapple; Trev Searle; Andy White,

were all set, and for the few spectators that attended, put on a display of excellent badminton.

The Mounts Bay ladies won their 3 disciplines with excellent play, but the Camelford Men set their stall out early and a victory for the two Rob’s was the start of a winning pattern and whilst the Mounts Bay men put up a resilient fight taking the 3rd match to three ends, Camelford edged to a Men’s victory.

So with the score at 3 – 3 it was all down to the Mixed.

Claire Walkey & Tony Marshall at 3rd Mixed were the first victory, winning in 2 ends (21/16; 21/18). This was closely followed by Jo Philp & Rob Cook beating Vicky Thomas & Lee Chapple (21/12; 21/13). With the match sealed, Mounts Bay took the last rubber with Vicky O’Connell & Trev Searle beating Rachel Stacey & Rob Heckbert (22/20; 21/13), which resulted in a 5 – 4 victory to Camelford.

Congratulations to both Teams, on a well played match, played in the great spirit of the game we all love.

Cornwall Badminton Team Results - Sunday 3rd March

It was a busy day for Cornish Badminton, with 4 teams playing at home and away last Sunday, and a mixed set of results for the 24 players of ages ranging from 17 to over 60.

The 1st team, missing key doubles player Tom Lyle, travelled to Crewkerne to take on the top Somerset side, who they had narrowly lost to in the home fixture before Christmas. Some close games and hard fought victories finally saw the team just losing 9-6, but gaining a valuable point in this tough Division 3.

The new young 3rd team, had a home match against table topping and unbeaten Sussex, who had come out well on top in their first match. Home advantage saw the Cornish players pick up two games and gain valuable experience, before the Sussex strength won the day.

Two vets matches also took place on the same day, with slightly better results – the over 60s travelled to Avon and comfortably won their game, and the over 40s took the long trip to Bournemouth to play Dorset, just winning a tight 6 all match on games count back, thanks to the battling 3 enders that both mens and ladies achieved, something of a Cornish speciality.

This last result was even more creditable, as the 40s team had had several last minute drop-outs due to injury and illness, and players stepped in to play at the eleventh hour. One of these was Dave Bartholomew, making his county debut with a 100% clean sheet.

Photo shows the Cornwall 40s team –

Left to right – Lorna Riggs, Martin Burley, Sue Biscoe, Al Riggs, Jan Santillo, Dave Bartholomew, Lynda Beer, Bob Bell

CORNWALL II v WILTSHIRE III

FEBRUARY 24TH 2013

Our away game against Wilshire 3rds began with an early and cold Sunday morning drive to Melksham. Upon arrival, the sports hall proved to be as cold, if not colder than outside.

Despite this the match got off to a blistering start, with our regular singles representatives Emily, Hester and Kris, along with singles new face Seb providing a 4-0 advantage. This was in spite of Seb conveniently ‘misplacing’ his entire badminton kit (not his fault of course).

Our good run continued with the duo Kahoo & Seb winning both doubles comfortably and Dave & Kris just losing out to Wiltshire’s 1st pairing.

Our ladies contributed, with Jan & Lynda beating Wiltshire’s 2nd ladies and Emily & Hester replicating their performance. Both couples lost to Wiltshire’s 1st pairing but with the match win guaranteed at 9-3, only one mixed was required to obtain the full 3 points.

Both Seb & Jan and Dave & Emily brought home a comprehensive victory, with Kahoo & Lynda losing respectably to talented opposition.

The early morning wake up proved to be worthwhile with Cornwall securing 3 points to maintain their position at the top of the league and potentially promotion at the end of the season. A great team effort by the Cornish seconds.

Team:

Dave Harrington, Kahoo Tse, Kris Jasper, Seb Emery

Jan Santillo, Lynda Beer, Emily James, Hester Luke

National Schools Badminton Championships

The County Final of the Badminton England National Schools Badminton Championships took place at Carn Brea Leisure Centre Pool on Wednesday 27th February. A total of 64 players from across the County competed for the County Title and progression to the Regional Finals at Exeter University on March 14th.

Eleven Schools were represented across the age groups, Mounts Bay, Humphry Davy, Camborne, Roseland, Poltair, Bodmin, Fowey, Penryn, Truro, Launceston, Callington.

All Teams having won through their local rounds over the last few weeks.

The standard across the competition was of a high standard and some closely fought matches ensued.

Eventual winners were ;

KS 3 BOYS LAUNCESTON

KS 3 GIRLS CAMBORNE

KS 4 BOYS TRURO

KS4 GIRLS PENRYN

All these schools will represent Cornwall on the 14th March when Teams will be aiming to go the final hurdle and represent the South West Regional at the National Finals in April.

Thanks must go to Truro and Penwith College and Launceston College for providing Leaders to assist with the smooth running of the event,and Carn Brea for use of their excellent facilities.

Jon Wotton pp (Jenny Phipps Badminton England Regional Officer)

Under 11 County Championships

Sunday 24th February 2013

Medal winners: William and Charlotte Freer, Cara Collins, Sam Hammersley and Harry Dyer

Cornwall badminton's premier event for under 11 players had a good entry of both boys and girls attend the championships at Truro School.

The games were keenly contested with many close matches between the enthusiastic players.

Singles

Three groups of players contested the boy’s singles competition. Each game was played to 15 points and there were many close games with notable performances from Alfie Hammersley and Charlie Fox. However, it was Alfie's older brother Sam who qualified to play William Freer in the Final. It was a fantastic achievement by Sam to reach the final who was struggling with a cold. The final did not disappoint the packed sports hall with a high level of badminton on display from both players. The eventual winner was William Freer who built upon his recent win in Devon and won in 3 ends 12-15, 15-8, 15-11.

The boys who did not progress through the group stage were entered into a plate event, which threw up some interesting clashes and was well fought out by all players. A close final, with fantastic play, saw Sam Phelps beat Ethan Walsh 15-11.

Two groups of players competed for the girl’s singles event with Cara Collins and Charlotte Freer winning through to the final. There were some fine displays and close games within the group phase with a notable performance from Mollie Bailey who only lost one game. The girls final saw Cara Collins build upon her success in Plymouth with a win over her doubles partner Charlotte, 15-6 15-13. Both girls played to the peak of their ability to create an entertaining match.

The girl’s singles plate saw Molly Pritchard meet Naomi Cavill in the final. A notable performance in the plate event came from was Issy Walsh who reached the semi-final then was out pointed by Molly. Yet another close final saw Naomi Cavill beat her doubles partner Molly 15-12.

Doubles

The doubles events had 1 group for boys and 1 group the girls with all pairs playing each other for the trophy.

In the boy’s doubles event, the closest game of the day was contested between Ethan Walsh and Sam Phelps against Harry Dyer and Charlie Fox with the latter winning through 15-13. The William Freer Sam Hammersley pairing won all their games and took the winner’s trophy with Harry and Charlie taking the runners up honour.

The girl’s doubles events provided many close matches, with the game of the day between Issy Walsh and Holly Crabb narrowly losing to sisters Mollie and Rebecca Bailey 15-13. The eventual winners were the pairing of Cara Collins who partnered 8 year old Charlotte Freer, who added another competition victory to their recent open tournaments successes. Naomi Cavill partnered Molly Pritchard to take the runners up berth.

Mixed

The mixed competition commenced with two groups of players pairings, with the winners of each group fighting it out for the final honours. Siblings William and Charlotte Freer won through group 1 to set up a final against group 2 winners Harry Dyer and Cara Collins. The final provided a real warming treat to the crowd in freezing conditions in the sports hall. The rallies were long and highly technical with Harry and Cara eventually winning through 15-9, 16-14 against William and Charlotte.

The days play was enjoyed by both players and spectators and provided Cara Collins with a hat trick and William Freer with a brace of victories during the day.



Results

Boys Singles

William Freer beat Sam Hammersley 12-15, 15-8, 15-11



Boys Plate

Sam Phelps beat Ethan Walsh 15-11



Girls Singles

Cara Collins beat Charlotte Freer 15-6, 15-13

Girls Plate

Naomi Cavill beat Molly Pritchard 15-12

Boys Doubles

Winners - William Freer and Sam Hammersley

Runners up - Harry Dyer and Charlie Fox

Girls Doubles

Winners - Cara Collins and Charlotte Freer

Runners up - Naomi Cavill and Molly Pritchard

Mixed Doubles

Harry Dyer and Cara Collins beat William and Charlotte Freer 15-9 16-14

Cornwall's Clean Sweep

The annual Plymouth Junior Badminton Tournament was held at the Life Centre, after 30 years in the Mayflower Centre.

Cornwall's players had a very successful weekend, managing to win every category entered!

The event was held on Sunday, February 10 and covered all abilities of badminton in the under-11, under-14, under-16 and under-18 age groups.

Story here: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Tournament-new-home/story-17999848-detail/story.html#axzz2LID6zTdq

Pictures also available here: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Plymouth-badminton-tournament-plays-Sunday/story-18143393-detail/story.html#axzz2LID6zTdq

Newquay Cup

Family badminton success spans generations.

Saturday the 2^nd of February saw the well established Newquay Cup badminton tournament played at the Newquay sport centre. The mixed event has benefited from being widened to include separate draws for both affiliated league and social players, resulting in the highest entry for many years with one box of 6 pairs in the social event and 3 boxes of 5 pairs in the league.

The social results were very close with just 19 points dividing the top three pairs. The experienced Martin Penny and Dee Frost managed to edge out their Camborne club colleagues Steve Knucky and Marnie Boston by just 4 points to take the runners up spot. However the event was won by the Camborne  husband and wife pair of Mark and Della Griffiths who dropped just 1 point from their 10 ends to win in convincing style, and is their second consecutive tournament win having triumphed in the 2012 West Cornwall Bonanza in Truro.

The league event was handicapped and saw a pleasing spread of players from various competitive clubs throughout Cornwall and Devon. 

The Tecans (Pool) pair of  Steve Ellis and Kay Bossinger took all their ends, winning Group A by 7 points from the Mounts Bay pair and reigning champions of Lee Chapple and Hester Luke who also qualified for the semi finals as highest second placed pair. Group B was won impressively by Grandmother/grandson partnership of Jack Dyer and Jennifer Collins (First Edition), and Group C was won by the experienced Pair of Alison Philp and Andrew White (First Edition/Mounts Bay). 

The semi-finals saw the handicaps reviewed for all and Lee and Hester produced their finest play with clinical and attacking play to account for Andrew and Alison in both ends. Jack and his grandmother Jenny again upset the odds by battling hard and defeating the much fancied pair of Kay and Steve by just 21-20, 21-20. 

The final was a tense affair with around 40 people watching the spectacle. Jack and Jenny showed great patience and defence in the first end with good holding and net play and fantastic pick ups, and whilst Lee and Hester played solidly they were unable to reproduce their semi final standard and could not make up the 8 point handicap losing 21 – 15. The second end was a much closer affair and despite Hester and Lee taking it 21 – 20 the cumulative points meant that Jack and Jenny lifted the title from the reigning champions. The wining pair which amazingly spanned three generations, proved to be popular victors as the crowd acknowledged the tremendous feat of grandmother Jenny managing to triumph over her considerably younger opponents.

The event was well run, played in a great spirit and enjoyed by all. The organisers wish to thank the staff at the sports hall who kindly remained on in order for the matches to be completed.

Cornwall v Dorset

Playing at Polkyth this afternoon.

Cornwall were missing key players today, but the team fought hard nonetheless to match the Dorset side.

Guy and Shane battled through a big three set game, winning 21-19 in the third to take the match to six games each going into the mixed.

Sadly the Dorset team proved too strong in the final discipline, and took the three remaining games to win the match 9-6. 

A well earned, but disappointing single  point instead of two for the table from Cornwall.

U15/U17 JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED

CORNWALL COUNTY BADMINTON ASSOCIATION JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2012/2013 Under 15 and Under 17 Championships will be played at TRURO LEISURE CENTRE

U15’s on Saturday 16th March 2013

U17’s on Sunday 17th March 2013

Each event will be played on a round robin format, one end to 21, no extended play.

Please return all entries by 9th February 2013 to Sue Cooper.

Both entry forms can be downloaded here.

Devon U11 v Cornwall U11

Cornwall under 11 badminton team lost to close neighbours Devon 27-9, in the second fixture of the season on 20th January 2013.

As in the previous match against Avon, Cornwall fielded 3 of the required 6 under 11 girls and therefore conceded 12 rubbers automatically. However, Ellie Reed, Katie Phelps and Alice Pritchard from the Cornwall U13 squad kindly played to ensure a full team. The match provided debuts to Molly Pritchard and Ethan Walsh.

The singles events provided some excellent match play and following several close games, Harry Dyer managed to win for the boys in the third berth. Ethan Walsh responded well to his first taste of county badminton losing in two close ends, despite only starting the sport in October 2012. Cara Collins and Charlotte Freer won their respective singles rubbers for the girls both in three ends.

Building on a recent level doubles gold medal, Charlotte Freer and her partner Cara Collins continued their good form into the level doubles with all their rubbers lasting the three ends and successfully wining one rubber. Under 13 pairing of Ellie Reed and Katie Phelps won all their rubbers but unfortunately the games had to be conceded. Eight year old Molly Pritchard making her Cornwall debut played with her older sibling Alice and really responded well to the challenge with a positive attitude and the game play to match her smile.

Building on their recent silver medal success, level doubles pairing William Freer and Harry Dyer comfortably won two rubbers with their determination and all round power play. The new pairing of Sam Hammersly and Adam Hobbs played exceptional well in all events, eventually wining one rubber. Adam really lifted his game and reaped the rewards for his hard work. Another new pairing consisting of the quickly improving Sam Phelps and Ethan Walsh, who both used their natural athletic ability to cover the court and play with great determination in all the games. These boys are really stepping up the standard.

With the match won by Devon going into the mixed doubles, recent medal winners, the Charlotte and William Freer and Cara Collins and Harry Dyer combinations were both successful in their matches, comfortably defeating their Devon counterparts.

Whilst Cornwall lost the match, the team has made significant progress since the last game and the team can feel encouraged for the final match against Dorset in March.

Several players could have won the player of the match, but it was awarded to Cara Collins for her hard work and consistent game play in all three events.

Boys Team William Freer (Captain), Sam Hammersley, Harry Dyer, Sam Phelps, Adam Hobbs, Ethan Walsh

Cornwall U13 v Avon U13

13th Jan 2013 - Cornwall win 19/17!
  The Cornwall U13 team beat Avon 19-17 at home on Sunday 13th January. The singles events provided some close games. Avon Number 1’s and 2’s were strong, however, Amy Walker battled it out in her match lasting three ends, narrowly losing 21-19 in the third end.
Charlie Standen and Nathan Holmes also played well taking their matches to three ends and winning. Consistent performances from Ellie Reed, Amy Grout, Maddie Ilsey and Charlotte Grigg, making her debut, meant we went into the doubles on a draw.

Oli Cavill and Mark Pearson’s level doubles performance strengthened as the afternoon progressed, winning an important game in the third end 23-21. Other successful pairings winning two out of their three level doubles were Amy Grout and Maddie Ilsey, Sarah Frost and Amy Walker. We finished the level doubles 15-15!!

The mixed doubles was a tense hour, but highlighted the strength and depth to our team.  Luke Sillifant and Ellie Reed went on to win their third county mixed doubles match this season; a strong pairing. We managed to win 4 of the 6 mixed matches to beat Avon 19-17!

A fantastic team effort.

Players of the match went to Mark Pearson and Amy Walker for their determined performance as a mixed pairing winning their match in the third end.