BAT's Badminton Club B team played their first two matches in division 5 of the Plymouth and District Badminton League recently and came away from both with a lot of credit.
The first, against Ivybridge Congregational Church Badminton Club, led to a number of closely contested rubbers particularly so when the three BAT's girls came up against the three Ivybridge girls. Some of the BAT's and Ivybridge girls represent the county at under 15 level, the Ivybridge girls being seeded higher than the BAT's girls.
In the men's doubles rubbers Paul Bitten played well with Ewan Rae and Mike Ward and came away winning his two rubbers. Mike and Ewan were unlucky to miss out on the third rubber.
In the ladies' doubles rubbers the Ivybridge girls proved too strong for the BAT's but the three BATs girls, Susie Povey, Elizabeth Rae and Francis Ward, worked Ivybridge around to make all three rubbers close and highly competitive.
In the mixed doubles rubbers Paul Bitten and Susie Povey proved that BAT's still were not beaten when they took the first rubber against a good Ivybridge pair. The other two mixed doubles rubbers went the way of Ivybridge but only after some long drawn out rallies.
At the end of the evening BAT's had been beaten 3 rubbers to 6 but came away feeling that with a little bit of luck the final result could have gone their way.
The second match that the BAT's B team played was against the China Fleet Badminton Club. BAT's went to the China Fleet Club knowing that in the closed season they had picked up a few new players and a hard match was in prospect.
In the men's doubles rubbers everything went against the BAT's men of Ewan Rae, Paul Bitten and Paul Rainer. Every time it looked as though things would go their way a miss-hit or the net intervened and took the point away from their grasp.
In the ladies' doubles rubbers the BAT's ladies of Susie Povey, Elizabeth Rae and Zoe Hogg took the play to the China Fleet and won all three with well worked team work and plays.
With only the mixed doubles rubbers to play the score was 3-3. In the end, only Paul Rainer and Elizabeth Rae won their mixed doubles for BAT's but the other BAT's mixed pairings both played well and were unlucky when it came to the final points.
Having played two away games BAT's B team are now looking forward to playing a home game and turning the tables on both Ivybridge and the China Fleet when they visit Bere Alston.