November Week 2

The rising star of Kennet badminton club encountered rough seas this week, as three of their teams tasted defeat. In the Ladies-6 league, Kennet hosted Bucklebury and ended up on the wrong end of a 9-0 thumping, though many of the rubbers were hard fought. The Bucks' Clare Drysdale and Anna Penn typified their team's determination by winning 3 tough battles, including a 21-15, 22-20 victory over Lynda Hayes and Alice Sun and a 21-18, 25-23 win over Denise Adlington and Carol Gateby.

At the other end of the hall, Kennet's B-team were entertaining Hurst in Division 2 of the men's league. Both teams started the evening unbeaten, so a close match was expected, but Kennet handed the advantage to the visiting team by fielding only two pairs. Hurst made sure that they didn't miss their chance, with Mark Payne and Alex Wignine leading the way to a 6-3 victory, by claiming emphatic victories in their two rubbers.

The hat-trick of defeats was completed the following night, when Kennet's C-string men visited Greenacre in division 3, and once again Kennet could only field 2 pairs. They were still determined to fight for the points though, and things may have turned out differently if Co Winter and Jon Gotelee had not lost to Steve Fletcher and Dan Talmarsh in a 16-21, 21-12, 21-19 thriller. That defeat left the visitors with too much to do though, and Greenacre ran out 6-3 victors. This was a welcome victory for the hosts, giving them their first points of the season.

In men's division 2, Newbury A gained their first victory at the third attempt with a resounding 8-1 win over Bucklebury, though this score-line was harsh on the visitors, for whom Holloway and Witcomb gained a well-deserved consolation point. In the top men's division, Cannons hosted St Mary's with Gareth Jones doing a great job for The Saints, as he mentored new recruit Dave Lewis to win all three of their rubbers, including a crucial three-set victory over Pedro Cosa and Nigel Coombs. With Saints stalwarts Mark Ferguson and Tony Glinos in no mood to slip up, the visitors left with a solid 6-3 victory to consolidate their second position.

Back in the Ladies 6 league, the top 2 teams, Shaw and St Mary's enjoyed a fine match. The star performers of the evening were the Saints' Andrea Farmer and Janine Fisher, who swept all before them. The Saints' may question their selection though, as their other two pairs were unable to carry on the good work. The more balanced Shaw team eventually won 6-3, with Helen Wooldridge and Rebecca Chivers winning the crucial fourth rubber of the evening (18-21, 21-19, 21-16) against the ever-young Margaret Mason and Pam Norman.

In the Ladies 4 league, there was some welcome cheer for Kintbury BC, who have had a wretched season to-date, both on and off court. Their victims were hosts St Mary's B. Things looked good for The Saints when they won the first rubber, but Kintbury then moved into top gear, with Walker and Rothwell leading them to a fine 5-1 victory.