Monday 14 December 2015

Cornwall Badminton 1st team – a hard day’s play

Cornwall’s top badminton players once again made the long trip to Cheltenham for the second weekend of the season, this time to take on table-topping Oxfordshire and the team from Jersey.
Left to right - Richard Townsend, Tyler Sillifant, Liam Sillifant, Amy Polglase, James Whetter, Vicki Thomas, Guy Michell, Bronwen Wotton, Ross Lashbrook, Jo Philp
Going into the first match versus Jersey, the opening men’s singles saw the Sillifant brothers, Liam and Tyler, and the experienced James Whetter, take on their opponents. Tyler was up against ex England international Mark Constable, who stunned the crowd with his skilful delayed shots and accuracy, and ran out a comfortable winner. Liam too, playing the strong second Jersey singles man, also found it difficult and lost in two ends, whereas James won his singles in two relatively easy ends to give Cornwall’s first success. In the women’s singles, Amy Polglase fought hard to take her game to 3 ends, and just ran out of steam in the final game, followed by Vicki Thomas losing in 2 to a quick, youthful opponent.
Being 4-1 down after the singles gave a mountain to climb for the Cornish team, and the men’s doubles followed, pitching Jersey’s Mark Constable and partner against Ross Lashbrook and Richard Townsend, seemingly with little hope against this top player. Ross and Richard had other ideas and stunned the Jersey men by taking the first end, before narrowly losing in the third – a very creditable performance. James and Guy Michell took on the next pair, with Jersey only needing 1 victory to win the match, but they were thwarted by James and Guy who used all their skills and power to win the game in 3 thrilling ends.
Cornwall’s women then did the county proud, by both winning their games – Bronwen Wotton and Jo Philp looking particularly strong, while Amy and Vicki after narrowly losing the first end came storming back to win the next two, to make the match 5-4 to Jersey going into the final two games of mixed.
Top Cornish pair Ross and Bronwen comfortably won their game as predicted to put the match on a knife edge at 5-5, with all the pressure on Guy and Jo in the last game, and everyone watching on the edge of their seats. The first end went to Jersey, but Guy and Jo battled hard to just take the second, leaving the decider to come. This was another thriller, seesawing both ways before Jersey sealed it at 21-19 and took the match overall 6-5.
After that fighting performance, the tiring Cornwall team faced top of the table Oxfordshire, and this proved a match too far. The men’s singles all went Oxfordshire’s way, but the Cornish girls dug deep, and Jo had an excellent victory in her singles, while Amy fell agonisingly short in the third, losing unluckily 22-20.
This time there was no stirring comeback against some very tough opponents – the doubles were all won by Oxfordshire, despite James and Guy coming very close in just losing an end 30-28, and Amy and Vicki taking their game all the way, before finally losing out. The victory was emphatically sealed in the mixed as both Cornish pairs lost out, to give the final match score 10-1 to Oxfordshire.
Although the scores went against them, this young team can be very proud of the first game’s result and in battling hard with a great team spirit throughout the day, and look forward to the final weekend in January.

1st team – Tyler Sillifant, Liam Sillifant, James Whetter, Ross Lashbrook, Guy Michell, Richard Townsend, Amy Polglase, Jo Philp, Bronwen Wotton, Vicki Thomas, (missing through illness Milo Semonin)

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Junior Badminton

The Cornwall County U13 Badminton Squad began their 2015/16 season with a flourish convincingly defeating Avon in a South West County match 22 points to 14 and 12 to 8 in the concurrent Shires League. On a murky wet afternoon  the Cornish team were given a warm welcome at Gordano school in Portishead by Stuart McCrimmond, the Avon team manager.

Games started with six  mixed doubles and the Cornish team got off to a flyer with a 5:1 lead. Ashay and Beckie had stiff opposition from Om Reddy and Skye McCrimmond and despite losing fought hard to the end.  This was followed by some tough opposition for our boys with the standard of play from their number one and two exceptional.  Despite such stiff opposition from experienced tournament players, Sam Phelps, Josh Cox and Regan Hull (playing in his County debut)  took their defeats with dignity and calm and were a credit to the conduct of the team . Ashay Divekar was beaten narrowly against their number three and it was left to Jason Ayliffe to play a blinder securing a three end victory, 21/17, 16/21 and 21/14 at number four. This was followed by victory for Sam Perkins playing number six 21/14 and 21/18. The three debutants (Regan, Jason and Sam) thus served the County well.  At this point we were narrowly ahead 7:5 when the girls stepped up to the plate. They comprehensively trounced their counterparts and although our number six and new debutant Poppy Brunsden lost it was by a narrow margin 21:18 and 21:13 giving her valuable tournament experience.

We were 12: 6 up at this stage and their strong boy’s team sought to exact revenge. They were victorious in most of the games but Sam Phelps partnering Josh Cox and Jason Ayliffe  with Ashay Divekar won one rubber each to maintain our narrow lead 14:13. It was up to the girls to secure victory. The nerves subsided and the match was never in doubt! Our tournament hardened number one pair (Cara Collins and Charlotte Freer) and number two (Beckie Bailey and Nila Kandasamy)  tore into their opposition alongside the new partnership of Gemma Stevens  and Poppy Brunsden. They won 9 of their 10 matches. The final tally of 22:14 was a true team effort and a reflection of the excellent coaching and support from Nigel Collins and Rob Freer. The result was also a reflection of the tremendous support from all the parents that travelled the distance and the help of Paul Stevens who officiated with style.

The matches also counted towards the Shires tournament with a 12:8 victory. All in all an excellent day. Team manager Nigel Bailey was delighted and said ‘The team clearly deserved their victory and demonstrate how, despite our geography, we can compete on a level playing field with national opposition’. Stuart McCrimmond commented ‘ We are a competitive group but were outplayed by a strong committed Cornish team –  we enjoy playing Cornwall but hope the result is different in the return match’. It was great to see the players revelling in their success at the McDonalds restaurant at the Taunton Deane Service  Station on the way home where the Team Managers player of the day went to Gemma Stevens and the Players award shared between Cara Collins and Poppy Brunsden. Well done all.

Monday 30 November 2015

A Bonanza of Badminton, Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre, Truro, 29th November 2015

53 badminton players from all over Cornwall and North Devon, gathered at the 8 court Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre in Truro 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 all the social events with Hayle’s Martin Penney winning a splendid hat-trick of titles, including pairing up with Rob Atkinson to beat the Bodmin family duo of Andrew and David Head in the men’s doubles, and in the mixed with Marnie Boston against Mohammed Dulal and Jo Southey. The St Austell pair of Kathy Vian and Jo Southey won the ladies’ doubles for the first time, defeating Zelda Bennet and Marnie Boston while Sanna Roff, another player from St Austell, retained her ladies’ singles crown from last year.

The league finals winners were shared between Cornwall and players from North Devon, as Tony Wong from St Ives won both the men’s singles and the men’s doubles with partner Junlong Yu, beating the scratch pairing of Trevelyan Searle and Karl Orchard. Chulmleigh’s Karen Parish and Michelle Wylde beat their Cornish opposition in the ladies. A strong contingent of students from Penryn saw Katherine Jeffery winning the ladies’ singles and taking runner up with partner Jake Turpie in the mixed.


Results  
League men’s singles – winner Tony Wong, runner up Jake Turpie 

League ladies’ singles – winner Katherine Jeffery

Social men’s singles  - winner Martin Penney, runner up Mark Griffiths

Social ladies’ singles – winner Sanaa Roff

League men’s doubles – winners Tony Wong/Junlong Yu, runners up Karl Orchard/Trevelyan Searle

League ladies’ doubles – winners Karen Parish/Michelle Wylde,  runners up Celia Hillman/Pat Edwards

Social men’s doubles – winners Martin Penney/Rob Atkinson, runners up David Head/Andrew Head
Social ladies doubles – winners Kathy Vian/Jo Southey, runners up Zelda Bennett/Marnie Boston
League mixed doubles – winners Gary Braunton/Val Reed, runners up Jake Turpie/Katherine Jeffery

Social mixed doubles – winners Martin Penney/Marnie Boston, runners up Mohammed Dulal/Jo Southey



Thursday 26 November 2015

Cornwall 2

On Saturday 7th November Cornwall’s second team headed for Wellington in Somerset for the first matches of the season. With a mixture of new and experienced players in the team the first match was against a strong Devon 3 side.
The singles were up first. Sam Spencer, Lee Chapple, Emily James and, making their debuts for Cornwall, Sean Havis and Amy Cox, all fought hard but were beaten by strong opposition in straight ends. On to the doubles with Sam and Tony Clark playing to their strengths and defending well but just losing out 21-18 in the third end. New pairing Tom Lyle and Curnow Bascombe gelled well with Tom’s experience and Curnows dominance at the net they got Cornwall on the board with a straight ends win. The new ladies pairings of Emily & Kay Bossenger and Beth Rich & Tamzin Knuckey took to the court but found it tough against experienced opposition. Despite Emily’s power, Kays skilful net play and Beth and Tamzin’s determination they both lost in straight ends. Finally the mixed doubles with new pairs Tom & Kay and Lee & Amy both losing out. Final result Devon 10 Cornwall 1

The next match was against Somerset 2 and after a slight team reshuffle the singles were underway. Both Sam & Lee having grown in confidence pushed their opponents hard before losing in straight ends. Tony took on the third singles and after a slow start began to move his opponent around the court and won in 3 ends. Emily just lost out in three close ends and Tamzin battled hard against her skilful opponent before losing in 2. Having lost against Devon Sam & Tony showed great determination and attacking play to win in 3. Tom & Curnow also winning in 3. The ladies Emily & Kay, Amy & Beth found it hard against tough opposition and both pairs lost in straight ends. The last games of the day were Tom & Kay and Sean & Amy in the mixed both, pairs failing to find a way past the Somerset players. Final result Cornwall 3 Somerset 8.
The next matches are taking place on the 12th December at Exeter University against Dorset 3 and Isle of Wight 2o
Cornwall team : Emily James, Amy Cox*, Kay Bossenger*, Beth Rich*, Tamzin Knuckey*, Tom Lyle, Sam Spencer, Tony Clark, Lee Chapple, Curnow Bascombe* and Sean Havis*
*denotes first appearance for Cornwall seconds

Sunday 8 November 2015

Cornwall Badminton – the first matches begin

Cornwall’s top badminton players began the new season by taking the long trip to Cheltenham, where the first set of centralised matches in Badminton England’s new format were held at the weekend.
Each county team plays their regional counterparts once over 3 weekends, with matches being the best of 11 games. This time, Cornwall 1sts took on Wiltshire and Dorset in the new Division 3.
The match versus Wiltshire began with the 5 singles games, which featured 3 of Cornwall’s best young men and 2 girls. Making their debuts were the new county champion, 15-year-old Tyler Sillifant, and Milo Semonin, alongside the more established and older brother Liam Sillifant.
The boys got Cornwall off to a storming start, with excellent straight set victories in each of their games, and this was followed by a comfortable win for Vicki Thomas, and a narrow loss for Hester Luke after 3 ends of hard battle in the women’s singles.
Ross & Rich v Wilts
Two games of men’s and two games of women’s doubles followed, and the honours were split with Wiltshire taking both women’s and Cornwall the men’s. The new pairing of Ross Lashbrook and Richard Townsend eventually triumphed after 3 close ends of attacking badminton and close defence, while the experience of James Whetter and Guy Michell saw off their opponents in fine style.
In the women’s doubles, both Cornish pairs, of Bronwen Wotton and Amy Polglase, and Hester Luke and Vicki Thomas fought hard but were beaten by the Wiltshire girls.
The match finished with 2 games of mixed, with Cornwall having already secured victory.  The Wiltshire pair were no match for number one pair and county champions Ross Lashbrook and Bronwen Wotton were no match for the Wiltshire pair, who they swept away in two easy ends, but the new pairing of James Whetter and young Amy Polglase found life more difficult in their game which they were unlucky to lose in 3 very tight ends.
So the match finished with a great start and an encouraging victory 7-4 to the young Cornish team, and they prepared for the next match versus Dorset.
This turned out to be much the harder match against more experienced opponents, and Cornwall’s young singles players struggled from the off, each of the boys losing in 2 ends despite some hard fought retrieving and good movement. Amy also lost in two, and although Hester won one end, fatigue set in and the Dorset girl triumphed.
Cornwall’s two men’s doubles pairs set about reversing the trend, and both won in three ends, and although the women’s pairs did well to push Dorset to three ends, they both just lost out unluckily.
Honour was again salvaged in the mixed, with Ross and Guy completing their 100% win records by pairing up with Bronwen and Vicki to comfortably win, and give a final match score of 7-4 to Dorset.
The next set of matches again takes place in Cheltenham, on December 12th, when Cornwall 1sts take on Jersey and Oxfordshire.

Cornwall team – Tyler Sillifant, Liam Sillifant, Milo Semonin, Ross Lashbrook, Richard Townsend, James Whetter, Guy Michell, Hester Luke, Amy Polglase, Bronwen Wotton, Vicki Thomas.

Monday 12 October 2015

Bob wins gold at World Senior Badminton Championships


Bob Bell, former Cornwall County and current England Senior badminton player, returned from the recent BWF World Senior Championships held in Helsingborg, Sweden, as World Champion, along with partner Roy Lord of Essex, in the 65+ doubles event.

The championships attracted over 1300 competitors from 48 countries with strong teams from across the globe particularly Denmark, Japan, Thailand, India, Indonesia and Germany, although players also represented countries such as Peru and South Africa.

Bob and Roy defeated Indian pairing Vidya Arora and Sustril Patet in the final 21-18, 21-8 but faced a sterner test in the semi-finals, beating Per Dabelsteen and Steen Kioerbo from Denmark.

The event is biennial and players have to be selected and nominated by their country.  Qualification in England is gained by competing in Masters tournaments staged throughout the year for players 35+.

Bob, from Callington, said  “the event was fantastic and the facilities 1st class.  The tournament was staged on 14 show courts but 21 practice courts were also available.  It was great to see so many former World and Olympic champions still competing and enjoying the game at such a high level.  I thought that winning Gold in the Europeans three years ago was to be the highlight of my long career but this result tops the lot”.

Bob also claimed a Silver Medal in the 65+ Mixed Doubles event with partner Penny Shears from Avon.


The next World Seniors Badminton Championships is to be held in Kochi, India in 2017.

Monday 28 September 2015

Cornwall Badminton Championships 2015


Cornwall’s badminton players converged on Polkyth Leisure Centre at the weekend to take part in the annual County Championships to find out the best players this year. The first day of the competition saw the men and ladies battle for the two singles crowns, as well as the ladies doubles event.
The ladies singles final came down to the top two seeds, Bronwen Wotton, and young Amelia Burrell who had just beaten the experienced Vicki Thomas in the semi-final. A closely fought final, with some lung bursting rallies, went to the wire with both girls winning an end each, before Bronwen’s finesse and all court game finally triumphed and she became ladies champion.
Twenty one men contested the singles event, once again with an excellent turn out of young players from Cornwall Youth Badminton. The top 4 seeds duly made it through to the semi-finals, although James Whetter had had to use all his experience to beat Ross Lashbrook in one amazing end which finished 30-28.
Both semis were tightly fought affairs, with top seed Liam Sillifant narrowly edging out James in a pulsating, see-saw match. In the other half of the draw the semi-final was between two regular young combatants, Tyler Sillifant and Milo Semonin, and this again went all the way to three ends of stunning defence and footwork, which Tyler won fairly comfortably in the end.
So the final was between the top seeds and the two brothers, Liam and Tyler. Younger brother Tyler repeated his excellent form from the previous weekend in the Duchy Senior Silver tournament, and finally beat Liam in two incredibly close ends, to become county champion for the first time.

The ladies doubles event gave all 5 pairs the opportunity to play each other, with some promising young players gaining valuable experience. In the end, the clear winners were Bronwen and Amelia, who had paired up following their singles contest. Runners up were a new pairing of Vicki and Laura Galley, who had battled hard and only dropped two ends all afternoon.
The players returned the next day for the mixed and men’s doubles, and the large crowd were treated to more thrilling badminton to a high standard.

In the mixed doubles, the top two seeds made their way comfortably through the draw to the final which was an intriguing matchup of two established pairs, Ross and Bronwen against Lee Chapple and Vicki. Despite a never say die effort from the Penzance pair Lee and Vicki, they were no match for the power and precision of Ross and Bronwen in the end. This event completed Bronwen’s hat trick of titles and capped a fine weekend for her.

Sixteen pairs made up the men’s doubles, with some great skill and power play on demonstration from the players of wide ranging ages and experience. Once again, the 4 men’s seeds made it through to the semis, with Dave Harrington and Liam pushed hard by Steve Ellis and Chris Glasson in the quarters, and they were then beaten in two ends by top seeds Ross and Richard Townsend.
Competing against them in the final were the experienced pair of James and Nick Phelps who had seen off Sam Spencer and Tony Clarke in the semis. The final had some fantastic retrieving and speedy net play but in the end Ross and Richard’s power took them through to become county champions, and round off a great weekend of badminton.

Results –


Mens singles champion – Tyler Sillifant.                             Runner up – Liam Sillifant
Ladies singles champion – Bronwen Wotton.                    Runner up – Amelia Burrell
Ladies doubles champions – Bronwen Wotton and Amelia Burrell
                          Runners up – Vicki Thomas and Laura Galley
Mens doubles champions – Ross Lashbrook and Richard Townsend
                          Runners up – James Whetter and Nick Phelps
Mixed doubles champions – Ross Lashbrook and Bronwen Wotton
                          Runners up – Lee Chapple and Vicki Thomas


Plate results
Mens singles winner – Richard Townsend
Ladies singles winner – Melissa Lin
Mens doubles winners – Will Bick and Matt Bick
Mixed doubles winners – Richard Townsend and Emma Ziajka

Sunday 27 September 2015

West Cornwall Badminton Bonanza

The 2015 West Cornwall Badminton Bonanza tournament - Sunday 29th November, Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Hall, Truro

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 - this year's tournament will once again be held in the 8 court new hall in Truro, and promises to be every bit as dynamic and exciting as last year's successful event, when nearly 70 players from all over Cornwall and Devon had a great day's badminton.

Closing date for entries this year is November 20th.


Entry forms available here, or in the download panel to the right.

Thursday 10 September 2015

Calendar Dates

Fixtures for Seniors/Veterans and CYB are all online now, available through the fixtures link if you wish to print.

All dates have been added to the Google calendars in the panel to the right, click on the link at the bottom of each box to add to your own calendar if required.

Tuesday 8 September 2015

An open letter from the Chair, Cornwall CBA

Your chance to have our Cornish voice heard!

Hello to all clubs and members,

As our new season gets underway, I wonder how many of us at times think that here in Cornwall we are a long way from the centre of things, in badminton terms, a little bit "out of sight, out of mind" and that no-one within our governing body (Badminton England) really cares about us or what we think.  There have been some significant recent changes, especially regarding county matches that affect us greatly.

Well, now we have TWO  opportunities coming up where we can have a real say and where every Cornish club member can, and should, join in and put the Cornish view.

The first of these is a visit by the Chief Executive of Badminton England, Adrian Christy, at the invitation of your county committee.  Adrian wants to not only see how we do things but to meet as many of us as possible so, with this in mind, we are staging an open meeting on 24th September at 7.30 pm in Conference Room at Polkyth, St Austell.  He will field as many questions as we may wish to put to him so if you have a particular topic you feel strongly about, then this is an ideal opportunity to hear the response from the top on it.  As an example, I personally feel strongly that clubs, especially in areas like ours, do not seem to get the support from BE they deserve so this is one subject he could comment on.

Secondly, BE are staging a County Conference on Saturday 31st October in Loughborough between 1pm and 6.30pm (refreshments provided).  I will be attending, following my attendance at the earlier Council meeting, and we can send up to another 4 persons to act as delegates, so if anyone else is interested in joining me, then get in touch for more details.  If we could register a full 5 votes on any issues discussed there, that would be great publicity and a real voice for Cornwall.

If you agree that these are opportunities not to be missed, then let us know your opinions as soon as possible.  Should you have a question to put to Adrian Christy, come to the meeting on 24th September; it would be good if you let us know in advance the nature of your particular question, so we can avoid unnecessary duplications.  You can send an email to me or to Lyndon Allen, addresses below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Tony Poole

Chair, Cornwall CBA

Monday 31 August 2015

Cornwall Restricted Championships

The CCBA 2015 County Restricted Championships will be held at Polkyth Leisure Centre, St Austell.

The tournament will take place over Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September, with entries required by 18th September.

Forms available for download here, or in the download panel to the right.

Thursday 16 July 2015

The 33rd Duchy of Cornwall Badminton Championships

The entry form for The 33rd Duchy of Cornwall Badminton Championships has been released, and can be downloaded here or in the download panel to the right.

The tournament is on the Senior Silver Circuit, and will take place on Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th September 2015 at Carn Brea Leisure Centre.

The closing date for entries is Tuesday 1st September 2015.

Monday 13 April 2015

CORNWALL U17 BADMINTON YOUNG STARS SHINE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE


Cornwall U17 Badminton Team took to the National stage at Nottingham University between the 8-12 April competing for their 9th consecutive year against 35 counties from across England and Ireland at the 50th Nationally acclaimed “Inter Counties Tournament”.
Cornwall were targeting a fifth successive climb up through the final standings table, 26th position being their best ever in 2014 and 2013.
Unseeded in their opening group Cornwall had to compete against Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Bedfordshire. The team simply rose to the challenge after 6 months preparation and achieved outstanding wins against Nottinghamshire and Bedfordshire.  The score lines of 6- 4 in each match moved the Duchy into the top half of the competition for the first time in Cornwall Badminton history.
Subsequent matches against further highly ranked teams from Berkshire who came 2nd on the final day, Sussex, Dorset, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Essex resulted in a final position of 16th in the Country. This far exceeds anything Cornwall Youth Badminton U17s have ever achieved in a total of 20 attempts over the competitions 50 year history.
All the opposition had National Gold standard players within their ranks. Berkshire, Sussex, Lancashire and Dorset contained at least 2 England Internationals, Sussex and Berkshire having the National U17 and 15 Singles, Doubles and Mixed champions in boys and girls.
The team remained after their last nail biting match on Sunday morning against Essex to enjoy the final. The team later travelled back arriving in the early hours of Monday morning as the proud owners of the “Best Ever Cornish Inter Counties Tournament” title.
Many thanks to our main financial sponsors “Dairy Crest Davidstow”. 

Additional thanks go to Cornwall County Badminton Association (Christine Parsons memorial fund), Truro and Penwith College (transport),Crowan Parish Council, Asda Hayle and Tesco at Poole and Launceston.


Team; 
  • Milo Semonin (Capt) (Truro and Penwith College) 
  • Kellen Moore (Capt) (Camborne Science and International Academy) 
  • Tyler Sillifant (Launceston College) 
  • Sam Laity (Truro and Penwith College) 
  • Lewis Jeffrey (Helston Community College) 
  • Duncan Covey (Penair School) 
  • Amy Polglase 
  • Amelia Burrell (both Camborne Science and International Academy) 
  • Amy Walker (Penryn College) 
  • Laura Galley (Sir James Smith Community School Camelford)

Coach; Jon Wotton
Team Managers; Cathryn Bick. Kerry Sillifant

Wednesday 1 April 2015

End of Season Presentation Evening

The Annual awards night this year will be held on Saturday 16th May 2015 at the Visitor Centre, St Austell Brewery 7:30pm.

For full details click here, or see the poster download to the right.

Sunday 29 March 2015

Cornwall Badminton 1st team complete the season in style


The top Cornish badminton players took on Buckinghamshire who had made the long trip to Polkyth Leisure Centre at the weekend in the last match of the season. Cornwall, having only lost 2 matches all season, were looking to finish with a victory to keep them high up the south west league table and keep hot on the heels of promotion rivals Devon.

The men set off at a canter, winning both the mens' singles – Shane Marriott recovered well from losing a closely fought first end to wear his tiring opponent down with superior fitness in the next two, and James Whetter took little time to comfortably see off his opponent in two ends.Jo Philp used her power and whole court game to good effect to win her singles in two, but in the number 1 slot Emily James was beaten by a skilful young opponent, to leave the Cornwall team with a 3-1 advantage going into the doubles.

Bucks were a lady short, and had to give away 2 ladies doubles, so both Cornish pairs tackled the remaining pair with mixed results. Jo and Bronwen Wotton displayed their usual battling skills, and despite losing the first end narrowly, rallied and took the final two with much to spare. Emily and Lynda Beer had the opposite experience and were out powered in two.

It was a different story in the mens doubles, where the visitors had no answer to Cornwall’s speed, power and excellent defensive work, and all 4 games were won easily by the pairings of Shane and Ross Lashbrook, and James and Guy Michell, capping a fine season for the Cornish men.


With the match well and truly won going into the mixed doubles, each of the three home pairs aimed to pick up maximum points against their tiring opponents. James and Jo at number one made short work of their game, dominating the court, whereas Cornwall’s number 2 pair of Ross and Bronwen struggled to make any headway against an experienced husband and wife team, leaving Guy and Lynda to finish the match off in style with another fine win.

Congratulations to Shane, James, Guy and Jo for their 100% success in the match, and to the whole team for a great season of commitment and excellent badminton, as we look forward to next year’s challenge.

Team: Shane Maton, James Whetter, Ross Lashbrook, Guy Michell, Emily James, Jo Philp, Bronwen Wotton, Lynda Beer.

Match result: Cornwall 12 – Buckinghamshire 3

Division 4 SW table

Match Report – Cornwall 2nd vs Avon 3rd

Hengrove Park Leisure Centre, Sunday 22nd March 2015

After a chastening defeat at the hands of Avon Third Team, Cornwall Second Team could be forgiven for seeking solace in the famous words of Samuel Beckett. Indeed, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.Try again. Fail  again. Fail  better” would seem to provide an apt description of the fortunes of the Cornish side in the recent years, with the 2014-15 incarnation being unable to claim the single point required from this fixture – consigning them to yet another near miss in their quest to win Division 6South West. The team travelled fully aware of the task which confronted them and the tension and atmosphere at the Hengrove Park Leisure Centre did not disappoint, with a large crowd (for a badminton match) in attendance.  A few  new  faces  (for  season  2014/15)  represented  Cornwall  on  this  occasion,  with promising youngsters Amy Polglase and Kellen Moore stepping in, alongside Tony Clark.

Proceedings started well for Cornwall in the men’s singles, with Sam Spencer recovering superbly from a poor first end to wear down the powerful Will Hollis and take the first point for Cornwall with a11-21, 21-17, 21-10 win. Unfortunately this proved to be a false dawn. Liam Sillifant, taking on the talented left-hander Aidan Gibbons, put up an excellent fight but faded in the final end to slip to a 13-21, 21-17, 12-21 defeat. In the ladies’ singles, a somewhat fractured match between Hester Luke and Kwon Yoongeun, in which both players went on long runs of point-scoring, narrowly went the way of the Avon player 8-21, 21-18, 18-21. Likewise, a spirited performance from Kellen was unfortunately not enough to overcome the consistent Lauren Ashley, who took the win 16-21, 18-21.

Despite trailing 3-1 after the singles, Cornwall were still confident of pushing their score towards the magic 6 rubbers in the Level  Doubles. However,  what was to follow turned out  to be a veritable nightmare for the Cornish team. The added pressure of the promotion decider and intense play from the Avon pairs saw all of the Cornish pairs perform below the standard of which they know they are capable.

In the Ladies’ Doubles, the usually reliable pairing of Hester and Vicki Thomas were unable to find their usual consistency, losing their first match against Kwon and Ashley 12-21, 6-21 before rallying a little at the start of their second match against Rebecca Scott and Clara Fitzpatrick-Milton which they unfortunately went on to lose 22-20, 12-21, 9-21. Amy and Kellen fared a little better, being unlucky to lose their first match against Scott and Milton 21-13, 17-21, 19-21, before putting on a much better performance to win against Kwon and Ashley 21-14, 11-21, 21-7.

The Men’s Doubles, usually reliable point scorers for Cornwall, saw the team fare even worse. Kahoo Tse and Liam formed Cornwall’s first pairing and despite taking the first end against the dogged Hollis and Adam Parr, lost 21-18, 19-21, 20-22. The Cornish lads were also on the wrong end of a three ender against Avon’s second pairing of Giibbons and David Bailey. A good end sandwiched between two poor ones saw the away team lose 6-21, 22-20, 10-21. The other Men’s pairing, East Cornwall based Rich Townsend and Tony Clark, did not fare any better. After a slow start against Gibbons and Bailey, Rich and Tony contrived to throw away a number of game points in the second end and lost 13-21,  26-28.  Despite  an  improved  performance against  Hollis  and Parr,  the Cornwall  pair  were unable to close games out, despite being ahead in all three ends, and lost 21-17, 16-21, 18-21.

With only the mixed remaining, and the prospect of promotion already snatched away due to the 10-2 scoreline, the Cornish team were playing for pride. Thankfully the team lived up to the county’s strong Mixed Doubles reputation and put in a far better performance to limit the extent of their defeat. Taking on the formidable pairing of Scott and Gibbons, Kahoo and Vicki were unlucky to lose 21-13, 17-21,16-21 in a fast and frantic game. The Cornish second pair of Rich and Amy, despite having never played together, steadily improved throughout their match – sealing a 23-21, 21-13 win against Ashley
and Hollis. The final match was a real nail-biter, with the majority of both teams watching the final end.Thankfully for the Cornish team, Sam and Kellen showed the composure the team had perhaps been lacking for the rest of the day to edge a close third end and take the final rubber 19-21, 21-13, 24-22.

With the match complete and the score standing at 11-4 to Avon, Cornwall had agonisingly missed out on  winning Division 6  South  West  yet  again,  although credit  should  go to  Avon for  a  relentless performance which  prevented  the Cornish  team from settling until  it  was  too late.  However,  the Cornish team are bound to look back on their record of winning only 3 of the 11 three-end matches in this fixture and wonder what might have been – maybe they will have to accept the home advantage and support helped Avon to keep their composure a little better on the big occasion. Despite the disappointment, a restructuring of the county leagues next year is likely to see Cornwall playing  a  few new teams,  which  will  present  a  welcome change and challenge for  the team. In reflecting on the near misses of the last few years, perhaps the last word in comforting the Cornish team should be left  not  to Samuel  Beckett,  but  to fellow literary luminary C. S.  Lewis:  “Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward towards success...”

Team:
Ladies – Hester Luke, Kellen Moore, Amy Polglase, Vicki Thomas.
Men – Tony Clark, Liam Sillifant, Sam Spencer, Rich Townsend, Kahoo Tse.

Friday 27 March 2015

Cornwall’s Badminton Champions


Cornwall’s veteran badminton players have recently finished a very successful season, and will be off to Loughborough to play against the top national teams next month, on April 25th and 26th, having won the South West league.

The team of over 65 year olds swept away two Avon and Gloucestershire teams, Devon, Wiltshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight to win their division in style.  

The mixed doubles pairs of Captain Brian Hannibal and Celia Hillman, and Bill Edgar and Pat Edwards remained unbeaten all season, and overall this was a great team effort and a notable achievement for Cornwall badminton.

The vets team were already riding high by winning the annual Masters Challenge competition, held in January in Bournemouth, where all the south west counties get together for a weekend of keenly fought badminton, not to mention dinner and dancing. Not only are the vets best at the badminton, their moves conquered the dance floor too. 

This time, the over 65s beat the rival counties of Dorset, the Isle of Wight and Buckinghamshire.

The over 65 team is – Brian Hannibal, Phil Oland, Bill Edgar, Celia Hillman, Pat Edwards, Christine Smith.

Sunday 15 March 2015

Cornwall v Devon – top of the table clash


Cornwall’s top badminton team took on visiting rivals Devon at the weekend at Polkyth Leisure Centre, hoping to avenge their 9-6 defeat before Christmas, and resplendent in new One and All shirts.

The Cornish team, without their number 1 singles player Shane Maton, and the experienced Rose Willis, struggled in the singles. Despite good efforts from James Whetter, young Liam Sillifant, Emily James and Jo Philp, the Devon team had a strong lead of 5-0 going into the doubles.

The established pair of James and Guy Michell stormed into the lead in the first mens and held on to take a fine victory over a talented pair, with excellent defence and lightening quick attack. Next game up saw a new pairing of Ross Lashbrook and Richard Townsend, who fought all the way to take an exciting three ender by a narrow margin. Both pairs then lost their other mens doubles, meaning that Devon only needed one more game to win the match.

The ladies doubles also saw some fine games – Jo and Bronwen Wotton playing particularly well and complementing each other to win both their games in three ends, despite losing each of the opening games, their fighting spirit and good tactics gave them well deserved victories. Emily and Lynda Beer came close in their opening game but found both Devon pairs just too strong.So although Devon had won the match by this time, the Cornish team were determined to do well in the mixed doubles and earn at least a point. 

James and Jo duly obliged at first mixed, winning their game in two ends of exhibition mixed, reviving their old partnership. Ross and Bronwen pushed the second pair all the way, and were unlucky to lose, which left Guy and Lynda to finish the match off in style, winning another close three ender and securing the vital point for the league position.

The result, 9-6 again to Devon, leaves Cornwall second in the table with one last home match, versus Buckinghamshire to go, on Saturday 28th March, when Cornwall aim to finish their successful season with a resounding victory.

Team – James Whetter, Guy Michell, Ross Lashbrook, Richard Townsend, Jo Philp, Emily James, Bronwen Wotton, Lynda Beer.

Saturday 28 February 2015

WCBL Championships

The entry form for the 2015 West Cornwall Badminton League Championships has been released. 

This is a tournament for members of an affiliated club in the west leagues only. There are two separate categories:
  • Open - Higher level players (1st Div standard)
  • Restricted - Lower level league players.   See form for details. 
Please support this event as all proceeds are ploughed back into the WCBL.

Entry form link

Monday 16 February 2015

CYB Restricted Tournaments

Entry forms for the CYB Junior restricted tournaments have been released.

  • U17 County Championships: Saturday 14th March 2015
  • U15 County Championships: Saturday 21st March 2015
  • U13 County Championships: Sunday 15th March 2015
  • U11 County Championships: Sunday 22nd March 2015
All events will be held at TREVIGLAS SPORTS HUB, Bradley Road, Newquay, TR7 3JA, starting at 9.30am and finishing at approx. 5pm.

To download the entry forms, please see the download panel to the right.

Saturday 14 February 2015

Wiltshire 3 v Cornwall 2



Following a thrilling win over Dorset 3, Cornwall were ready to take on Wiltshire 3, knowing full well that they must win to remain in contention of promotion. What the team were not looking forward to was playing away at the infamous Christie Miller sports centre. The beautiful sunny afternoon was in contrast to the cold, unwelcoming sports hall – players would be forgiven believing the indoor flooring was cover in a layer of ice, so slippery was the floor. Credit to Wiltshire’s team manager, the teams were provided with damn cloths to wipe the soles of player’s shoes between points; but the playing conditions were not ideal for a county match. 

A mixture of experience and youth set the stage with Hester Luke and Beth Wotton representing the ladies singles and Liam Sillifant and Dave Harrington for the men. Both Beth and Dave struggled to find the good form they have shown so often during the season, losing to their opposition in two ends. Hester started the singles in confident manner, sweeping aside her opposition in the first end, but after struggling to sustain the momentum lost the battle in three sets. An exciting match-up saw Liam tussling to gain the advantage against a tricky opponent and following three tightly contested games the Cornish representative notched Cornwall’s first rubber of the match. 

With the exception of Kahoo Tse and Liam Sillifant, doubles saw the usual partnerships of Rich & Dave, Beth & Linda and Mounts Bay pair Vicki & Hester. Previous ties have shown that Wiltshire ladies have depth in ability in doubles - but with one of their ladies missing from the regular line-up, Cornwall were hoping to capitalise on the opportunity. The ladies split the four doubles, with both pairs narrowing losing to their corresponding opponents but securing one rubber each. 

Having mixed success in the previous match against Wiltshire, the men’s doubles were keen to re-establish their dominance in their favoured event. Wiltshire first pair were very formidable and proved almost too much to handle for Kahoo and Liam – the majority of the match the Cornish duo were playing catch up. The third end saw Kahoo and Liam close to defeat, only for a fantastic display of grit and determination to snatch the rubber by the closest of margins. 

Wiltshire second pair lacked the attacking prowess of the first but demonstrated a slow and steady approach tempo to their game. A disappointing show of complacency, coupled with Liam’s physical and mental fatigue following two hard fought rubbers showed signs of weariness and not even Kahoo’s futile attempt at a diving retrieve shot was enough to save the game. Reliable Cornwall duo Rich and Dave showed no such loss of focus and defeated both doubles in excellent fashion, restoring balance in a tightly contested matchup.
The standings at 6-6 and everything to play for, Cornwall would have to muster every last bit of strength to bag the win. Cornwall wisely opted to stick with regular partnerships, Rich & Linda, Kahoo & Vicki and Dave & Beth to drive towards the win. 

Club compatriots Rich & Linda were first to battle against the Wiltshire first mixed. With Linda’s experience and Rich’s never-say-die attitude, Cornwall snatched the first of the three rubbers, displaying confidence and style expected from the well-established partnership.

Kahoo & Vicki found themselves matched with a competent Wiltshire second pair. Wiltshire were first to adapt quicker to the slippery conditions and with some tidy badminton comfortably won the first end. By some extraordinary feat Vicki and Kahoo were able to pull from 14-19 down to win the second game 21-19. After being informed by the team we had already lost both mixed and hence the match, the Cornwall pair were relieve of the pressure to win the final rubber and conceded that they were fighting solely for their pride. As the final game went on the Cornish pair fell further and further behind and were ready to concede defeat – at 15-19 one last ditch attempt, point by point the Cornwall duo managed to claw back to level the score and by a miraculous feat clinched the win to retain their pride and maintain an impressive 100% win record this season. The delight of Kahoo and Vicki was amplified when they discovered that the final mixed had actually taken the score to 8-7 in Cornwall’s favour! 

A memorable win for Cornwall 2 as they maintain the pressure on Avon 3 for the top spot – despite less than ideal playing conditions, when the going gets tough Cornwall keeps calm and carries on.
Special thanks to Sue Cooper for arranging the team.

http://be.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/teammatch.aspx?id=D7EAD637-B039-42E8-B72E-573D9647FFF1&match=521