AFTER the heavy defeat the previous week BATs B team were determined to do better against local rivals Tavistock B team in division 4 of the Plymouth and District Badminton League.

In the end it was a match where the ladies and young players of BATs B team shone, but Tavistock, who played in division 3 last season, were always going to be tough opposition.

In the ladies? doubles rubbers Tamsin Woodroffe and Glyn Hingston started the match in the best possible way for BAT?s with a close three-game rubber win over Gill Northey and Kate Wright.

Tamsin Woodroffe and Becky Ward then fought equally hard to secure the second rubber in a second three-game rubber over Gill Northey and Roma MacMahon. The third rubber saw Becky Ward and Glynis Hingston comfortably overhaul Kate Wright and Roma MacMahon. The BATs ladies had secured all three points for the team.

In the men?s doubles all three rubbers went the way of Tavistock with the BATs players finding points on occasions hard to come by. Though Mike Ward, Ewen Rae and David Williams fought hard it was the Tavistock men of Mark Bullock, Pete Barry and John Marshall, who came out on top to level the match at three rubbers all after the men?s and ladies? doubles.

In the mixed doubles rubbers, with all to play for, the BATs players took the fight to the Tavistock players. Ewen Rae and Glynis Hingston played perhaps the best match of the night, but just lost out to the Tavistock pairing of Mark Bullock and Kate Wright in the third game.

Michael Ward and Tamsin Woodroffe played well to level the match at four rubbers all with a second three game rubber when Tamsin took control of the last game.

The match then rested on the final rubber. Here David Williams and Becky Ward, although dwarfed in stature and age, matched the experienced Tavistock pair of John Marshall and Gill Northey, point-for-point. In the end they lost out marginally after losing the rubber in two ends. The game was a delight to watch.

The final score was a 5-4 win for Tavistock B but with the points totals being 269 to 262 it reflects just how close it was. With two matches now under their belt BATs B team are starting to find their feet in division 4.