Saturday 20 December 2014

Isle of Wight 2 vs Cornwall 2



Fairway Sports Complex, Sandown, Sunday 14th December 2014

In their final match before a Christmas break, Cornwall 2nds made the long trip to take on the Isle of Wight 2nds in Sandown. Despite a rather early start – the worst being an eye-watering 4am for the Penwith contingent – the journey passed without incident and the team arrived on the Isle of Wight keen to build on their solid start to the season so far. Having taken two points in all of their fixtures so far, the team were looking to go one better and take all three points against a team yet to score a point this season. A few changes were made to the team which took on Wiltshire two weeks previously – Chris Cooper made a return to the senior teams for the first time this season and recent CYB graduate Noah Semonin was making his senior team debut. Lynda Beer also re-joined the team following her recovery from an injury picked up in the recent match against Dorset.

As usual, proceedings commenced with the Singles. In the Ladies’ Singles, Cornwall were represented by singles regular Hester Luke and Vicki Thomas, playing her first singles match this season. Despite Vicki’s protests that she is not much of a singles player, both she and Hester made short work of their opponents, both of the Cornish ladies moving their opponents around the court well and pushing the back corners to good effect. Hester defeated her opponent, Linda Radcliffe, 21-13, 21-14, with Vicki beating Emily Boynton 21-13, 21-9 to give Cornwall a great start to the fixture. The Men’s singles was not quite such plain sailing – having been in excellent form in recent weeks, Sam Spencer took the first singles slot for Cornwall. Unfortunately for Sam (and for the team), he sustained an injury during only the third point of the first end. Unable to reach anything like his full capabilities, Sam could not better his opponent, Matthew Honnor, and went down 21-11, 21-14. Noah on the other hand, was taking on the younger Honnor brother, Jacob, and grew in to the match, becoming very consistent in the final end to seal a 21-16, 18-21, 21-10 win – an excellent performance in his first match in a senior county team.

Next up was the Level Doubles, with Cornwall looking to build on their 3-1 lead after the Singles. The Duchy were represented in the Ladies Doubles by the pairings of Hester and Vicki and Lynda and Jan Santillo. On the Men’s side were the relatively untested pairings of Sam and Rich Townsend and Chris and Noah.

Proceedings in the Ladies’ Doubles were immediately given a positive start, with Cornwall claiming both of the first round rubbers. Hester and Vicki took on Caroline Pearson and Charlotte Gray and despite a shaky first end, upped their game considerably to ease to a 19-21, 21-11, 21-3 win. Jan and Lynda did not even require a first end to become accustomed to the hall in their match against Radcliffe and Rosanna Riddett, powering through in two ends to a 7-21, 12-21 win. 

In the first round of Men’s Doubles, things were not so straightforward. Rich and Sam took on IoW first pairing of M. Honnor and George Utteridge. Due to his injury, Sam was unable to hit with any power and was very limited in the movement of his shoulder, making life difficult for the Cornish pairing. Despite having numerous game points in both ends, they went down 23-25, 23-25 to the tenacious IoW pairing. Chris and Noah also encountered problems in adapting to an unfamiliar hall and each other’s playing style and were unable to string together enough points to overcome the young pairing of J. Honnor and Daniel Parsloe, losing 17-21, 13-21.

The second round of Level Doubles saw improved results for the Cornish team. Continuing their dominance from the first round of matches, the ladies again took both rubbers. Having adjusted to the speed of the shuttles and the hall itself, Hester and Vicki did not allow Radcliffe and Riddett into the game and ran out 21-17, 21-9 winners. Jan and Lynda performed similarly well, not allowing the IoW pairing of Pearson and Gray to settle and were never troubled in a 21-13, 21-7 win.

Having been stung into action by losing both rubbers in the first round of matches, the Men’s Doubles pairings both produced improved performances in the second round. Chris and Noah, taking on the first pairing (Honnor/Utteridge), came out of the blocks quickly, gaining a good lead in the first end. This seemed to demoralise the IoW pair and, in combination with the Cornish pair’s greater consistency, smoothed the road to an excellent 21-15, 21-14 win. Rich and the injured Sam also produced a better performance in their second game against Honnor/Parsloe, having found a better way of adapting to Sam’s difficulty in playing any shots involving significant movement of the shoulder. In a close match which ebbed and flowed, particularly in the final end, Rich and Sam held their nerve and ran out 15-21, 21-15, 23-21 winners to claim the last of the rubbers in the final round of Level Doubles.

With the match score at 9-3 going in to the Mixed Doubles, Cornwall needed one more rubber to finally claim the third league point for winning 10 or more rubbers in a match. Representing the team were Lynda and Rich (taking on M. Honnor/Gray), Vicki and Noah (taking on J. Honnor/Pearson) and Jan and Chris (taking on Utteridge/Boynton). Any fears of being unable to take the final rubber were quickly allayed with the scratch pairing of Jan and Chris gelling well against the IoW pairing. Jan’s characteristic consistency and Chris’s good reach and movement proved too much for their opposition and they ran out comfortable winners, 21-12, 21-13 to secure the 10th rubber for the team. The first pairing match-up was, if anything, even more straightforward. Callington BC club mates Lynda and Rich played well from the off and, with Lynda’s coverage of any weak net returns allied to Rich’s anticipation and reach, the Cornish pair cruised to a 21-7, 21-9 success. The remaining mixed match-up was a far more close-fought affair, providing a good contest on which to finish the match. Noah and Vicki again represented a scratch pairing for the visitors, but this did not deter them with Vicki’s steady head proving an effective foil to Noah’s youthful speed and exuberance. Their opposition were very much a pair in the same vein, which made for an interesting game. With the lead alternating between both pairs, particularly in the final end, some compelling badminton was enjoyed by the spectators – thankfully for the Cornish team Vicki and Noah held their nerve to win 21-18, 18-21, 21-19 and take the third and final mixed rubber.

The match having finished, the score stood at 12-3 to Cornwall – an excellent result given the arduous journey and the injury sustained by Sam at the very start of the match. With four out of eight matches now complete, Cornwall are yet to be defeated and will look to continue their good form in the new year as they push towards the top of Division 6 South West.

Congratulations go to Chris and Noah for putting in excellent performances in their first appearances of the season and helping the team to claim three crucial league points. Thanks also go to Sue Cooper and Vicki for driving the team mini-bus all the way to Sandown and back, as well as to the Isle of Wight team for a match played in the right spirit and for providing some excellent post-match food!

The second team’s next match will see them take on Dorset 3rds at Polkyth Leisure Centre on 18th January 2015. 

Team:
Ladies – Lynda Beer, Hester Luke, Jan Santillo, Vicki Thomas.
Men – Chris Cooper, Noah Semonin, Sam Spencer, Rich Townsend.

Monday 8 December 2014

Veterans' Restricted Tournament

The Cornwall County Badminton Association annual Veterans' tournament will be held on Sunday 4 January 2015, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm at Polkyth Leisure Centre.

Entry forms can be downloaded here, or from the download panel to the right.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Cornwall 2 v Wiltshire 3




Following 9-6 wins over Avon 3rds and Dorset 3rds in the first two games of the season, Cornwall 2nds next encounter saw them take on the only other undefeated team in the league, Wiltshire 3rds. In the only change from the team which had faced Dorset the previous week, Jan Santillo replaced Lynda Beer, who had unfortunately not recovered from a back injury picked up during the previous match.

Everyone having arrived on time (unlike the previous week), the match started with the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles. The first Ladies’ Singles match saw Hester Luke take on Ella Scott-Humphris. Despite dropping the first end, Hester eventually found her range and her superior power paid off, seeing her take a 17-21, 21-11, 21-12 win and a crucial point for the team. Hester’s success could unfortunately not be matched in the second Ladies’ Singles by Beth Wotton, who found it tough going against the precise shots and good movement of Jana Axford and was defeated 15-21, 9-21.

The Men’s Singles also provided some good badminton, with Cornwall no.1 Liam Sillifant taking on another youthful player, Andrew Jones. Never letting his opponent into the match, Liam’s consistency saw him lead for the majority of both ends to claim a 21-13, 21-15 win. In the second singles, Dave Harrington took on Aiden Beardsley and, true to form, Dave was involved in a three-end epic. Despite some excellent retrieval from Dave, Beardsley’s stellar net play and long reach was just too much to overcome and Wiltshire took the rubber 21-18, 17-21, 18-21.

With the match tied at 2-2 going in to the Level Doubles, there was all to play for. The pairings saw Hester reprise her regular partnership with Vicki Thomas, and Beth teamed up with Jan to form the team’s second pairing. The Ladies’ Doubles proved to be very much a match of two halves, with both of Cornwall’s pairs notching relatively straightforward victories against Wiltshire’s second pairing of Scott-Humphris and Rebecca French, Vicki and Hester winning 21-11, 21-9 and Jan and Beth winning 21-13, 21-9. However, Wiltshire’s first pair of Axford and Hannah Laister provided sterner opposition, combining power from the back of the court with good net play. Despite the best efforts of both Cornish pairs, neither was able to beat the Wiltshire first pair, Hester and Vicki losing 21-16, 12-21, 11-21 and Beth and Jan losing 9-21, 12-21.

The Men’s Doubles saw the return of this season’s regular pairings of Dave Harrington and Rich Townsend and Kahoo Tse and Sam Spencer. As it emerged, the Men’s Doubles followed much the same pattern as the Ladies’ – both Cornish pairs secured straightforward wins over the Wiltshire second pairing of Nathan Axford and Jeremy Gummow, with Dave and Rich winning 21-7, 21-14 and Kahoo and Sam running out 21-17, 21-18 victors. However, the opposition first pairing of Beardsley and Jones again provided much tougher opposition, with both of the young Wiltshire players attacking effectively and making life difficult for the Cornish pairs by playing a very flat game. Despite taking the first end and leading for much of the subsequent ends, Dave and Rich’s trademark consistency deserted them and they lost 21-16, 15-21, 19-21. Kahoo and Sam also found their match against the first pair hard going and despite a purple patch in the second end, in which they won several points in a row to take the lead, they eventually went down 16-21, 19-21.

Having completed the Level Doubles, there was still nothing to separate the teams, with the match score locked at 6-6 ahead of the Mixed Doubles. With two rubbers required to take the match win, the home pairs would need to dig deep. The pairings saw the Jan and Rich team up for their first competitive match, Vicki and Kahoo continue their regular pairing and Beth and Sam reprise their partnership formed in the county youth ranks. Cornwall were given a super start in the Mixed, with the experience of Kahoo and Vicki proving too much for their opposition, the Wiltshire second pairing of N. Axford and Laister, taking a 21-12, 21-13 win in a match controlled from the start by the Cornish pairing. The teamwork of Beth and Sam also proved crucial in the next match to finish, with Sam’s variety of shots and Beth’s domination of the net making life difficult for the Wiltshire pair of Scott-Humphris and Gummow. Having won the first end, the home pairing recovered well from the disappointment of losing the second end to take a 21-17, 17-21, 21-16 win and secure the crucial 8th rubber (and the match win) for the team. The final mixed saw the as yet undefeated Beardsley and J. Axford comfortably take the first end as Jan and Rich found their feet. However, following a change of tactics and with a considerable dose of Cornish spirit, the home pair stormed through to take the second end. In a very tight final end, some steely serving and net play from Jan saw the Cornwall pairing recover from a 20-17 deficit to take the final end and the rubber 10-21, 21-14, 23-21.

With the match complete, the score stood at 9-6 to Cornwall, the home team having performed excellently in the Mixed to take all three rubbers. Despite being disappointed to have missed out on the third league point on offer for winning 10+ rubbers, the team will be pleased to secure a good victory against tough opposition – a win which extends this season’s unbeaten league run to three matches. Next up for the Second Team is a long trip to take on Isle of Wight 2nds on Sunday 14th December, a game in which the team will endeavour to continue their winning run and finally take that elusive third point.

Thanks go to the selectors for organising the match, to the opposition for making the long journey to St Austell and to all spectators for their support.

Team:
Ladies – Hester Luke, Jan Santillo, Vicki Thomas, Beth Wotton.
Men – Dave Harrington, Liam Sillifant, Sam Spencer, Rich Townsend, Kahoo Tse.

Saturday 29 November 2014

Dorset 3 vs Cornwall 2



Following a promising first match dispatching a talented Avon team, the Cornish team were keen to capitalise on a good start to the season against Dorset 3 away. For reasons unknown, Cornwall arrived at the venue ready for a 12.30pm start, only to be informed that the match was scheduled for a 12pm kick off.  Traveling separately was Kahoo, arriving a whole hour late (a new record), believing the match to start at 1pm. Fortunately the opposition showed commendable sporting spirit, not penalising Cornwall for the late start and the match started without any further delay. 

As tradition dictates, the match started off with singles. On form youngster Liam Sillifant swiftly dispatched his opposition in two ends, with Sam Spencer losing marginally in two close games. Ladies followed suit, with Beth Wotton winning in two and Hester Luke losing to Dorset’s number one singles in a tight decider.
The Cornish ladies saw Beth team up with Linda Beer and club mates Vicki Thomas playing with Hester Luke. The first pairing notched another rubber, Vicki & Hester beating the Dorset second pairing. An unfortunate turn of events saw Linda pick up an injury during the first doubles and despite the injury made an amicable effort in both rubbers but unfortunately losing both. Our strength in men's doubles saw both Rich Townsend & Dave Harrington and Kahoo and Sam Spencer winning all four men's comfortably. With a 7-5 lead heading into the mixed, Cornwall were determined to win all rubbers and bag maximum points. 

A late substitution for injured Linda saw Hester team up with Rich - with Rich’s variation of shots and Hester’s power play they beat the Dorset first pair in two ends. Established pairing Kahoo and Vicki were next up. In contrast to Vicki’s warning that she wasn't playing particularly well during the match, Kahoo spent the majority of the first game as a spectator whilst Vicki dominated the opposition with great vision and accurate shots. The duo swiftly swept aside Dorset in two ends, keeping our hopes of achieving a three point victory. The scratch pairing of Liam and Beth couldn't quite keep up with the opposition and despite the advantage of youth behind them a lack of experience forced the pair to accept defeat under pressure.

With another win in the bag, the Cornwall 2nds left Dorset pleased with the win, but also acknowledging that improvements will need to be made in order to obtain the elusive promotion spot this season.

Thanks to the team and Sue Cooper for organising the county match.

Monday 17 November 2014

Cornwall 1st team march on

The best badminton players in Cornwall extending their lead at the top of the South West Division with a fine home win over Wiltshire, at Carn Brea Leisure Centre at the weekend.


With a full strength team for the first time this season, and 2 wins out of 2 to date, Cornwall went into the match full of confidence. The men’s singles did not disappoint, with James Whetter accounting for his opponent in 2 clinical ends, although number 1 Shane Marriott had to dig deep to see off his promising young challenger in 3 hard fought ends. For the women’s singles, it was honours even – Rose Willis was her usual consistent self in winning comfortably in two ends, and Emily James just lost after an amazing first end which went to the rarely seen maximum score of 29-30.

With that good start Cornwall were leading 3-1 going into the doubles, and the men set about their games in fighting spirit – taking on the Wiltshire second pair proved relatively easy for both Shane and Ross Lashbrook, and James and Guy Michell, but the Wiltshire first pair proved elusive for both Cornish pairs – both going the distance, but losing out.

It was down to the girls to save the day, and they won all four games, much to their credit. Jo Philp and Bronwen Wotton had a close fought tussle with the first pair, but came from behind to win, and beat the second pair with relative ease, as did Emily and Rose. Emily and Rose then went on to defeat the first pair, showing great grit and determination against awkward opponents.

So the match was won going into the mixed doubles, but the home team were after the maximum three points, and swept Wiltshire aside in all three games with power and precision, to secure a great victory to keep them on top of the table.

Congratulations to Rose, Bronwen and Jo for 100% results this time, and to all the players for their fantastic team spirit and commitment.

Team: Shane Marriott, James Whetter, Ross Lashbrook, Guy Michell, Emily James, Rose Willis, Bronwen Wotton, Jo Philp.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

A Bonanza of Badminton

Over 65 badminton players from all over Cornwall joined visitors from Plymouth and North Devon, at the 8 court Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre at the weekend to take part in Cornwall Badminton Association’s latest 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, some playing in a tournament for the first time, as the Bonanza goes from strength to strength, with any profits going towards developing new clubs in Cornwall.
This year’s tournament at Truro was another great success, with some close fought battles in all the 5 different disciplines. Cornish players dominated in all the social events, with the league finals being split between Cornwall and players from North Devon.
The social section gave the chance for the local players to shine as they triumphed in the men’s and ladies’ singles, men’s and ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles. The league events were more evenly split, with Devon competitors taking the ladies and mixed titles, and Cornwall’s athletes taking both singles and the men’s doubles.  

More photos here: Truro School 2014 Bonanza
Results  
League men’s singles – winner Steve Ellis, runner up Sean Havis
Ladies singles – winner Kassy Bull, runner up Tamsin Knuckey
Social men’s singles  - winner Martin Penney, runner up Mark Griffiths
Ladies singles – winner Sanaa Roth, runner up Fiona Jackson
League men’s doubles – winners Alex Smith/Gary Braunton, runners up Steve Ellis/Richard O’Byrne
League ladies doubles – winners Mandy Raasch Sotinwa/Carol Kingdon, runners up Kay Bossenger/Wendy Horam
Social ladies doubles – winners Zelda Bennett/Marnie Boston, runners up Fiona Jackson/Simone Green

Social men's doubles - winners Martin Penney/Russell Tucker. runners up- Mark Griffith/Peter Rhodes
League mixed doubles – winners Marcus Symons/Mandy Raasch Sotinwa, runners up Steve Ellis/Kay Bossenger
Social mixed doubles – winners Mark Griffiths/Zelda Bennett, runners up Martin Penney/Marnie Boston

Saturday 8 November 2014

Cornwall 2 vs Avon 3


Sunday 26th October saw the start of a new campaign for Cornwall 2nd Team in Division 6 South West of the Senior County Championships. Having narrowly missed out on promotion to the ‘promised land’ (Division 5) for a number of seasons, the team were looking for a winning start to the season against an Avon 3rd team who had achieved a resounding 12-3 victory against Dorset 3rd Team in their first encounter of the season two weeks previously.


As always, proceedings were opened with the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles, with Cornwall represented by the Luke sisters, Hester and Daphne in the Ladies and by Liam Sillifant and Dave Harrington in the Men’s – Liam making his first appearance for a senior county team following a number of excellent performances in pre-season trials and tournaments.

Cornwall were given an fantastic start, with Hester’s power and precision around the net proving too much for Becky Cox, representing Avon in the number one singles slot. Despite a rally from Cox in the second end, Hester won 21-8, 21-18, crucially conserving energy for the doubles games to come.
Meanwhile both Men’s Singles were in progress, with Liam taking on Aiden Gibbons and Dave up against David Bailey. Unfortunately for Dave, the agile Bailey proved to be very mobile which, teamed with his sharp net play, made for a tough match. Despite recovering from a poor start, Dave was unable to string together enough points to take the win and went down 21-14, 21-17 – a creditable effort against a tough opponent. With the match now level at 1-1, Liam’s game was also in the balance. The young Launceston BC player’s opponent (Gibbons) has been selected for the Ireland Under-19 squad and would prove a tough opponent on Liam’s debut appearance. In spite of this, Liam started strongly and took the first game with an array of precise smashes and tumbling net shots. The next two games were a veritable ‘to-and-fro’ affair, with some excellent net play and outstanding recovery shots from both players. Unfortunately for Cornwall, the tournament-hardened Gibbons was able to edge the second game, and a good run of points when locked at 15-15 in the final end saw him take the match 18-21, 21-19, 21-15. Despite the defeat, it was an impressive debut performance from Liam who no doubt has a bright future ahead of him with the county teams.
The second Ladies’ Singles match saw Daphne pitted against the experienced Eve Morgan. In a difficult match with some long rallies and superb retrieval around the net, Morgan’s experience eventually told and, despite Daphne’s best efforts, ran out a 21-13, 21-14 winner.
Facing a 3-1 deficit going into the Level Doubles, some strong performances were needed to turn the tables and the team were confident that they could deliver. Representing Cornwall in the Ladies’ Doubles were the all-Mount’s Bay BC pairing of Hester and Vicki Thomas and the all Callington BC pairing of Lynda Beer and Jan Santillo. The pairings for the Men’s Doubles were Rich Townsend and Dave Harrington, reprising last year’s regular partnership, and Kahoo Tse and Sam Spencer, who also represented the second team together on a couple of occasions last year.

The first round of Ladies Doubles saw two tense matches, both of which went to three ends. Vicki and Hester were pushed all the way in their game against Morgan and partner Becci Scott, their match being one of the longest of the day. In a game which ebbed and flowed throughout, the Cornish ladies did well to recover from the disappointment of losing a close second end to triumph in the third, sealing a 22-20, 23-25, 21-19 victory. Lynda and Jan, resuming their partnership after a season’s break, had a similarly even encounter with Cox and partner Penny Scott. With the power of Scott in particular proving a handful, Lynda and Jan played well and took the first end. The next two ends saw a number of gruelling rallies and some excellent badminton from all concerned, but Lynda and Jan were unfortunately unable to secure the second end needed for the win and the Avon pair ran out 17-21, 21-17, 21-15 winners.

The first Men’s match-ups saw some similarly close and entertaining matches. Dave and Rich took on Will Hollis and Darren Wong in a match which saw Hollis’s powerful smash and Wong’s dogged defence provide an interesting contrast to Dave’s fast, flat game and Rich’s touch around the net. Several long runs of points on serve were had by both pairings and although Dave and Rich did their best to squander an 8 point lead in the final end with some shaky serving, their determination and ‘Lleyton Hewitt like’ tenacity (and shouting) sealed a 21-16, 19-21, 21-18 win for the Cornish team. Kahoo and Sam, meanwhile, were taking on the youthful Gibbons and Bailey. Although the Cornish pair, with Kahoo’s attacking power and excellent defence acting as an effective foil to Sam’s deft drop shots and deception, seemed to form a better partnership than the two singles-orientated players in the Avon pairing, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed the sharp Avon pairing to steal the first end. However, Kahoo and Sam did not allow this setback to affect them and roared back into the contest in the second and third ends and sealed another win in three ends – 20-22, 21-17, 21-17.

The second round of doubles matches did not prove to be as close as the first. Vicki and Hester continued their impressive form against Cox and P. Scott, who seemed intent on playing the shuttle to Vicki for much of the game, despite her consistently solid performance. Vicki and Hester led for most of the first end and, having edged past the Avon pair in setting, asserted their dominance in the second end, having an excellent run of points at the start of the game and taking the overall win 22-20, 21-12. In the final Ladies’ Doubles, Lynda and Jan had a tough match against the experienced Morgan and the attacking net play of B. Scott. Despite a great effort from Lynda and Jan, the Avon pair also played well, making very few unforced errors and took a 21-18, 21-14 win for their team.

The final Men’s Doubles matches were thankfully a little more of a formality than the first round. After an error-strewn first end which Dave and Rich were lucky to win, they produced a far more competent performance in the second, with consistent serving from Rich allowing Dave to pounce on any weak returns at the back and stretch out a good lead in the second game. This improved consistency allowed the Cornish pair to nullify the Avon youngsters’ excellent defence and retrieval and sealed a 24-22, 21-14 win. Kahoo and Sam found their form in similar fashion in their second match, producing a variety of shots which proved very effective against the smash and drive oriented game of Hollis and Wong. Never really troubled in either game, Kahoo and Sam completed a straight two end win, 21-18, 21-15 – a win which also completed an excellent clean sweep in the Men’s Doubles.

With the doubles complete and the match score at 7-5 to Cornwall following a great comeback in the Level Doubles, one rubber was needed from the Mixed Doubles to seal the match win. If the team could take all three Mixed then they would come away from the fixture with the full three points. The Mixed saw Lynda and Rich take on B. Scott and Gibbons, Vicki and Kahoo up against Cox and Wong and Jan and Sam playing P. Scott and Hollis. With both sides needing to take all three matches to gain extra points, all of the matches were very hard-fought. 

Kahoo and Vicki, having formed an effective partnership in pre-season, had the best of their match despite the best efforts of Cox and Wong. With both Kahoo and Vicki displaying great court coverage and retrieval, they took the rubber 21-17 21-18 to give Cornwall an unassailable 8-5 lead in the fixture and secure at least two points from the match. Jan and Sam also put in an admirable performance, especially given their being a scratch pairing with little to no practice together. Up against the powerful P. Scott and Hollis pairing, they controlled the game well, counteracting the power of their opposition by slowing down the play. After a straightforward first end, the second was far closer, with some excellent badminton played by both pairings – thankfully for Cornwall Jan and Sam held their nerve to take the game and the rubber 21-11, 24-22. Hopes of securing three points from the fixture now rested with Lynda and Rich, taking on the strong pairing of B. Scott and Gibbons. In a match reflective of the standard of badminton played across the whole fixture, it was nip and tuck all the way through, with the Callington BC club mates recovering a 3 or 4 point deficit on a number of occasions. Unfortunately for the Cornish team, and despite Lynda and Rich having a number of game points in both ends, the Avon pair triumphed in two agonisingly close ends – 24-22, 25-23.

With the Mixed Doubles over the fixture had been concluded with a final score of 9-6 to Cornwall. The match had seen some excellent badminton from both sides and had proved to be a great showcase of skill and teamwork. Although possibly a little disappointed at not securing all three points, the Cornwall team will be very pleased with a good start to the season against tough opposition and will be looking to carry their form into the next fixture against Dorset 3rd Team on 23rd November.

Thanks of course go to the selectors for their efforts in organising the fixture, to the Avon team for a match played in excellent spirit and to everyone who gave up their time to attend the match and support the team.

Team
Ladies – Lynda Beer, Daphne Luke, Hester Luke, Jan Santillo, Vicki Thomas.
Men – Dave Harrington, Liam Sillifant, Sam Spencer, Rich Townsend, Kahoo Tse.