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Newbury's Freefall Continues
w/c 19th February 2007

Another week in the badminton league, and another nail knocked into the coffin of Newbury’s season. The disastrous slump in form for Newbury can be seen widely across the board and relegation is threatening their top flight status in both the Men’s and mixed leagues. This week saw 3 Newbury teams in action, and to continue the bad run all three promptly returned home empty handed.

To start off this weeks round-up, in Men’s Division 1, Newbury, having been last seasons runners up, capitulated to a weakened St.Mary’s side. Not only did Newbury turn up with just two pairs, but they also received an 8-1 drubbing. For the Saints, Arthur King and Garth Jones took no pity on the visitors and swept through their matches in quick time, conceding only 11 points! The new pairing of Pete Braithewaite and Damon Short also showed class and determination in winning all their matches. The only scamp consolation for Newbury came from the racquets of Chris Beamson and Andy Moore who picked up their solitary point of the night that left Newbury rooted to the foot of the table and facing the prospect of life in Division 2 next season.

The other two matches in Mens Divison 1 this week involved St.Mary’s and both matches resulted in easy wins for the title chasers. Their first victims were a depleted Shaw B side who turned up with only two pairs, and unsurprisingly a 9-0 defeat ensued, with Shaw having no answer to the classy badminton being thrown at them. Next up were Kintbury who showed great spirit in a 6-3 defeat, with Kevin Digweed and Simon West proving a tough nut to crack for the Saints, but the overall result was never in doubt.

In Mens Division 2, Downlands kept up their chase of league leaders Wantage, by dealing out a 9-0 thrashing to Canon’s B. The stars of the show were yet again the strong pairing of Ananya Jeshtadi and Ian Leatham, who showed that Division 1 badminton next season might not be too much of a step up for them. They were ably assisted by Andy Martin and Paul Dennis who stunned Cannons first pair by beating them to love in their final game. Next up for Downlands were Newbury B, and they handed out another loss for Newbury, beating them 6-3 with Keith Parsons and Alex Setten battling hard to take all three of their rubbers.

The league leaders Wantage yet again recorded another 9-0 victory, their seventh of the season, when they outclassed Cannons B with Clive Beasley and Ryan Owen being particularly ruthless in their display. On a brighter note, Bucklebury continued their encouraging form by cheekily turning up to face Shaw C with only two pairs. This however proved no hindrance to the Bucks as they stunned Shaw with some quality badminton, and went home with a well deserved 6-3 victory, with much praise heaped on the inspired play of the irresistible force that is Paul Madden and his partner John Holloway.

Mens Division 3 was the scene for a landslide victory for St.Mary’s B. Downlands B would probably wished they had stayed at home after they were comprehensively ripped apart by the Saints, with much of the damage being inflicted by Ilya Goldburg and Mike Nicholls, who conceded a stunning average of 2 points a game. The other game to take place this week in Divison 3 involved St.Mary’s B again. This time it was the pairing of Phil Desbois, whose level of badminton should be gracing Division 1 not Divison 3, and Clive Evans who waltzed through their games without breaking much sweat, and led the Saints to another 9-0 victory.

This week saw only one match take place in the Ladies leagues, and that was a Ladies 4 game with Downlands hosting Cannons. Karen Simms shone throughout the match for Cannons and duly won all her rubbers. The only fight from Downlands came from Yvonne Masters and Lisa Campbell, who made sure that the game wasn’t a complete whitewash making the final score 5-1.

In the Mixed Leagues there were few matches played, but those that did take place saw a gripping draw, a win for the underdog and a one sided stroll. By far the most entertaining match was the one that took place at Kintbury, with the hosts taking on Aldermaston. As both teams are fighting for their Division 1 lives, it was always going to be a tense affair. With the score going into the final rubber standing at 4.5 to 3.5 in favour of the visitors, all Aldermaston needed was a half against Mel Pennington and Cliff Verrall.

Aldermaston’s hopes were lifted even further when they saw the injured Mel Pennington hobbling to the court to play the deciding rubber. What followed was a truly gutsy performance from the Kintbury pair as they dug deep and won both games, the first one by a slim 17-16 margin, and a claim of the spoils as the score ended 4.5 – 4.5. The other game in Divison 1 was not so gripping, with Shaw A continuing their relentless charge to the title by handing out a 9-0 drubbing to St.Mary’s B who look destined for the drop. Much praise should go to the Shaw pair of Bod Norman and Lucy Jelly who played flawlessly with the highlight being two 15-0 wins.

Lastly in Mixed Division 2, Bucklebury got their first points on the board courtesy of, yes you’ve guessed it, Newbury B. Although Newbury B are actually challenging for promotion and defying the drop that is facing most of their teams this season, they were shocked by a Bucklebury side that played with a new found confidence. With great determination and vigour the Bucks, led by the solid pairing of David Haines and Liz Drysdale, defied their league standing and battled their way to a remarkable 7-2 win. 5 of the 9 rubbers went to a decider, all of which, bar one, Bucklebury came out on top in. Steve Eatwell and Jo Russ tried their utmost to change Newbury’s fortunes, but despite all their efforts they could not turn the match in their favour.

Ladies Bring Relief For Saints
w/c 12th February 2007

The mixed doubles pairs took a rest this week, as the Newbury and District Badminton Leagues focused on the level doubles leagues.

In division 1 of the Ladies-6 league, Shaw hosted St Mary’s, and the Saints leading pair proved to be the difference between the two teams; the combination of the guile of Margaret Mason with the athleticism of Janine Fisher allowed them to win all three of their rubbers as the visitors ran out 6-3 winners. The win provides the Saints with some consolation for the reverses against Shaw’s Men and Mixed teams this season.

Meanwhile in division 2 there were two great tussles. First came the Kennet vs Whitchurch game in which Kennet’s Andrea Woods and Fiona Harris pairing won 5 of their 6 sets to earn 2 ½ rubbers. However, the visitors replied with solid performances from the Abbott & Hazel and Dennett & Prior pairings to take the lead, only to see Kennet snatch the last rubber to earn a 4 ½ - 4 ½ draw. Whitchurch continues their travels a few days later, this time visiting Bucklebury, with the additional handicap of only having 2 pairs. It turned out to anything but simple for the hosts though, as Ellen Dennett and Pauline Prior where once again in determined mood; this time they took all 3 rubbers to leave the match on a knife edge, and in the end the hosts were grateful to escape with a 4 ½ - 4 ½ draw.

In Men’s Division 1, Shaw A continued their inevitable progress towards another title as they visited Kennet and left with a 7-2 victory. Great credit must go to the hosts’ pairing of Chambers and Tompkins though, who managed to halve all of their rubbers.

In Division 2, Wantage are in danger of rewriting the record books, as they have won every rubber played this season. The latest victims were Firefly, who had their work cut out even before arriving with only two pairs. Firefly’s Turrell and Armstead took the home team to three sets on two occasions, but the class-apart pairing of Pratchett and Jones lead the way to another 9-0 victory.

The remainder of the action was in the Men’s division 3, where Kennet’s B team continued their faultless record, but were made to work hard on their journey to Aldermaston, before Nick Rivers and Steve Fox lead them home to a 5 ½ - 3 ½ victory. Newbury C kept their faint hopes of promotion alive with two home wins – firstly inflicting a 6-3 defeat on bottom club Kennet C and then gaining a 7-2 home win against Greenacre. The home pairing of David Adams & Bill Jones were dominant in both matches.

Cup Semi-Final Deadlock
w/c 5th February 2007

For the first time in the 40-year history of the competition, a Blackford Cup tie has ended in draw and must go to a third leg to be decided. Kintbury and Downlands played the second leg of their semi-final, in which Kintbury were winners by 246 to 227, exactly balancing the result against them in the first leg. Even the count-back on games won and lost, which is allowed by the rules to overcome a stalemate, failed to break the deadlock. After a season of extremely close results in the early rounds, this one takes the honours – all square after 473 points!

Such excitement was not replicated in routine league matches. Perhaps anticipating the battle ahead, Kintbury fielded only two pairs against the mighty Shaw side in Mixed Division 1. Mel Pennington and Roger Scully took a game from Karen Harrison and Tony Walker, but lost heavily in the third end, and Rebecca Chivers with Andy Norman were in crushing form for a 9-0 result.

Newbury Ladies maintained some dignity for the club by returning a 5-4 win over St Mary’s; Nadya Bentley and Sheila Moore dominated to take three rubbers, although Pam Norman and Andrea Fisher went closest against them in getting the best figures for St Mary’s.

At Elstree School a couple of days earlier, Newbury Mens A continued a dismal season loosing 2-7 to Kennet for whom Nick Bazin and Steve Pennington starred with Chris Tompkins and Gary Chambers not far behind. In Division 3 of the Mens’ section Hurst overcame Aldermaston B to improve their position near the top of the table. Rob Badcock and Chris Puxley were on great form conceding only 17 points on the evening and making sure of a 6-3 result.

Level Doubles Championship
w/c 5th February 2007

	This years handicapped competition saw a great turnout from pairs of the Newbury District league, with well over half of the clubs in the area being represented. The Ladies Tournament consisted of 8 pairs and saw a lot of close fought matches. The surprise pairing of the day had to be the mother, daughter combination of Julie and Hannah Ward, who having come second in the league stage took on the pre-tournament favourites Cate Poore and Claire Beavis in the final.
It was good to see a junior in the fsinal, and despite Hannah Ward’s young age, she showed little signs of nerves and looked comfortable on the court. However, there was to be no upset with Poore and Beavis showing why they are touted as one of the best Ladies pairs in the league, winning the final 21-14. This was a good win for the Shaw pairing who finished the day unbeaten and with the coveted trophy in their hands.
	In the Mens Competition, there were 13 pairs spilt between two leagues with the winners and runners up of each league progressing into the semi final stages and then a final. In group A, the veteran pair of Chris Tompkins and Gary Chambers came out on top closely followed by the Saints pairing of Andrew King and Peter Braithewaite. In Group B again the pre-tournament favourites Gareth Jones and Steve Pennington claimed top spot, with Mike Pembroke and Andrew Norman taking second place.
The final was contested between Jones and Pennington, who saw off King and Braithewaite 21-9, and Pembroke and Norman whose superior fitness marched them through Tompkins and Chambers 21-11. Pembroke and Norman, who started the final on –2 and with only one serve, found the going tough against Jones and Pennington. Despite some long rallies, and many changes of serve, the Shaw pairing could not overcome the service handicap and succumbed 21-13 to the consistent pairing of Jones and Pennington, who went through the tournament without losing a single game.

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