THE Plymouth and District Veterans' Badminton Tournament was held recently at the Mayflower Centre, Plymouth.

With few local players eligible to enter the tournament, the honour of representing the local clubs fell to Mike Ward and Heather Cooper, both of BATS Badminton Club, and Brian Cooper, of Callington Badminton Club.

In the round robin section of the tournament Mike Ward and Heather Cooper played well together to end up fourth in the group and went through to the knockout stages. Brian Cooper and his partner topped the group having won most of their round robin games.

In the semi-final Mike and Heather were paired against Brian Cooper and his partner. With both pairs playing some of the best badminton of the afternoon and both Coopers determined to win, the first two games were shared.

The third and final end saw Brain Cooper tire quickly but dig deep and by grit and determination take the game and go through to the final with Mike and Heather going through to the third and fourth place play-off.

In the play-off Mike Ward and Heather Cooper were determined to come away with a trophy and played some of their best badminton together when they took the third place they wanted in two games.

The final was another hard three-game match with Brian Cooper playing well in the first two games but tiring quickly in the third, and eventually almost playing at a standstill, as the other pair dominated.

In the end Brian was pleased to get off the court and have a rest but coming runner-up in such a prestigious tournament was more than a reward.

At the end of the afternoon the veterans' tournament had produced medals for three local players and demonstrated that badminton, as a sport, keeps people fit and healthy.