BAT?S Badminton Club played their first league fixture of 2006 recently when they took on Torpoint in Division 4 of the Plymouth and District Badminton League. Once again BATs were forced to bring in a new player to complete the team lineup. In the men?s doubles rubbers David Williams and Alan Berry got the men off to the best possible start when they totally outplayed the Torpoint pairing 15-3, 15-0. David then partnered Jonathon Freeman in the second of the men?s doubles and repeated the feat by again outplaying the Torpoint pair 15-3, 15-3. The third men?s doubles rubber saw Alan and Jonathon comfortably take the first game 15-1, but then falter at the start of the second game when they found themselves 0-4 down. They settled down again and took the second game and the rubber 15-7. The ladies? doubles rubbers were always going to be hard for the BATs girls but they fought hard in each one even though they were up against vastly more experienced players. In the first of the ladies? doubles rubbers Abi Maunder and Rachael Williams found the Torpoint pair too experienced, going down 4-15, 4-15. The second ladies doubles rubber saw Abi partner Francesca Morton. It was Francesca?s first adult badminton match and she and Abi played well but lost out 5-15, 1-15. The third ladies? doubles rubber saw Rachael partner Francesca and though they kept getting the service back they could make little impression on the Torpoint ladies, eventually going down 2-15, 2-15. With the match poised at three all after the men?s and ladies? doubles it was all to play for in the mixed doubles. The first mixed doubles saw David Williams and Abi Maunder play the most evenly matched rubber of the evening. With the first two games going to setting 17-14, 14-17 the third decisive game was not one for the faint hearted with both pairings never more than a couple of points either behind or in front. In the end it was the BATs pairing who came out on top with a 15-13 win. The second mixed doubles rubber saw Alan Berry partner Francesca Morton. With Francesca serving well to keep the BATs pairing in both games Alan and Francesca ground out a hard fought rubber to win it 17-14, 15-10. The third mixed doubles rubber saw Jonathon Freeman partner Rachael Williams. Initially Jonathon and Rachael took an early lead but it was not to last and they eventually lost out 8-15, 4-15. The points total showed how close the match was with Torpoint scoring 207 points and BATs 198. However it is the rubber score which counts in the league and that gave BAT?s the victory 5-4.
