On Monday 13th July, Liskeard Inclusive Badminton hosted their 7th Club Tournament at Liskeard Leisure Centre, bringing together members for an evening of competitive badminton, laughter, and plenty of memorable moments. These tournaments, held at the end of each term, are played for the prestigious Alistair McDonald Plate, and this year's event certainly lived up to expectations.
Liskeard were delighted to welcome Jean and Andrew McDonald, who joined to present the Alistair McDonald Plate to this year's worthy winners. Their presence added a special touch to an already fantastic day.
A total of 32 players took to the courts, many embracing the tournament's fancy-dress theme of "The Movies." There were some outstanding costumes on display, with characters from across the silver screen making an appearance. However, the overall fancy-dress prize went to Neil, who impressed everyone by playing the entire tournament while wearing a cape! Congratulations, Neil, for your commitment to both badminton and movie-inspired fashion.
The competition format saw 16 pairings divided into four groups, with each pair playing a round-robin series of matches within their group. The top two pairs from each group progressed to the knockout stages of the main draw, while the remaining pairs competed in the Plate event. As always, the standard of sportsmanship was exceptional, with players displaying tremendous enthusiasm and camaraderie despite the challenging summer heat.
After some thrilling matches, the Alistair McDonald Plate was won by Connor and Gene, who produced some excellent badminton throughout the day. Congratulations to them both. Finishing as runners-up were David and Ollie, while John S and Kerensa secured third place and John D and Syd finished fourth.
The Plate Event was won by Nikki and Mike, with Debbie and Neil finishing as runners-up after a strong performance.
A tournament of this scale would not be possible without the support of our volunteers, and we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success. Special thanks go to:
- Jess, for once again running an efficient and well-organised tournament table.
- John D, for bringing his now-famous lifesaving ice pops, which were greatly appreciated by everyone trying to stay cool.
- Liz and Claire, for organising and running the raffle.
- Julian Cooper, Chairman of the Cornwall County Badminton Association and President of the Plymouth & District League, for judging the fancy-dress competition and presenting the Jenny Marchant Player's Player Award 2026.
This year's Player's Player Award, voted for by the club's members, was awarded to a thoroughly deserving David Goodeve. Congratulations, Dave, on receiving this special recognition from your fellow players.
The day was another wonderful example of what makes our club so special: competitive badminton played in the right spirit, plenty of laughs, and a great sense of community.
We're already looking forward to our next club tournament at Christmas, when we'll do it all again!
In the meantime, the club will continue to play throughout the summer holidays on Mondays from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, before returning to full sessions at the beginning of September and the start of the new match season.
Thank you to everyone who took part, helped organise, volunteered, and supported the event. We can't wait to see you all back on court soon.
