Seniors A  v  Telecom    25^th October

 Rick who?

 After a very busy junior practice and coaching session (27 promising badminton players of the future) prior to the match, the Seniors A team, minus their Captain who was otherwise engaged treating his Dad to a delayed Father’s Day present, prepared to meet their adversaries, Telecom. They may have been without their main man, but the home team were under the watchful eyes of the main man’s mother who seemed to have instructions to go here, there and everywhere, once she’d put her massive box of shuttles down. As if this vigilance wasn’t enough, it was lovely to see the Edmundson clan out in force, looking so well.

The Seniors A ladies, ‘thisgirlcan’ Jess Portas, Joanna Holt and Sarah Woodhouse, who played at 3, faced Jane Makey, Kath Spillane with Judith Hamilton at 3. The games were neck and neck, with some excellent rallies and court coverage. Judith unleashed the weapon of her centre line long serve, causing frantic retrieval skills from the home side. The young Seniors’ ladies, however, eventually proved too much for Telecom to handle, but not without Kath and Judith nicking a game from Joanna and Sarah. Experience has to count for something as they came off court and totted up the age difference between the two sides.

On the adjacent courts, the Seniors A gents, led by the reinvigorated Nathan Whitehead, Matt Boyes and Olly Gregory at 3, faced part of the Holt family, in Cameron and his Dad, David, who played at 3, with Scott Heywood playing at top. Like their ladies, the Telecom men battled long and hard. All four games were extremely close and, again, the rallies were evenly  matched. It was Olly’s well balanced coverage of the court, however, and Nathan’s punishing smashes, which eventually saw the home side take the men’s doubles.

As the mixed games got underway, there was a welcome respite for the number 3 man for Telecom, David, as Jess and Nathan at top mixed played their opposite number, Jane and Scott. Two excellent games here saw some brilliant reaching of the shuttle from the ever positive Scott and delicate net play and coverage by his partner, Jane. The Seniors’ couple, however, blasted their way to 21 first. With fresh energy (and oxygen) behind him, David and Judith then met Jo and Matt for Seniors. Some excellent consistent serving by the home side forced mistakes from Telecom which not even Judith’s centre line serve could overcome. Next up, Olly and Sarah played Kath and Cameron. It’s becoming a bit of a cliché, but this was another point for point battle between the two sides. This time, however, young Cameron split the games, giving Telecom their second game of the night. As the final mixed games went on court, Jo and Matt for the home side played against Jane and Scott, followed by Jess and Nathan against Kath and Cameron: unfortunately for Telecom, the Seniors’ team had the bit between their teeth at this stage of the evening, and came away with the remaining games.

The photo of the league table which the Telecom captain had taken prior to tonight’s fixture may have been short lived, but his team put up a very brave fight against a talented young group of players from Seniors A.