BATs A team's first match of the 2008/9 Plymouth and District Badminton League season was the local derby match away to Tavistock.

With the BATs A team going through a shake up this year with both young blood and experience being brought in, it was important for them to settle in quickly to the new season.

In the ladies' doubles rubbers Abi Maunder and Rachael Williams played well to take the first game 21 – 17 off the Tavistock pairing of Lynne McFarane and Jo Hatton but then lost the next two games 18 – 21, 16 – 21 to miss out on taking the first rubber.

The second ladies' doubles rubber saw Abi partner Frankie Morton for BATs and Lynne partner Pauline Horr for Tavistock. With Frankie determined to cement her place in the A team she played a determined rubber and the pair took BATs' first league point of the season 21–18, 21–18.

The third ladies' rubber was a more one-sided contest with Jo and Pauline for Tavistock easing through the first game 21–12; the second game saw the BATs pairing of Rachael and Frankie fight back and just lose the game and the rubber 21–23.

In the men's doubles rubbers, changes in the BATs team meant that Alan Berry had been promoted from playing for the B team the previous season to take the number two position in the A team this season.

It was time to prove that decision would reap rewards on the badminton court. The first doubles rubber saw Jon Freeman and Alan Berry for BATs take on Ray Northey and Colin Tattershall for Tavistock.

The first game was competitive with both pairs attempting to dominate. In the end it went the way of Jon and Alan 2 –17. The second game was equally close but again it was Jon and Alan won out 21–18 to take the rubber.

The second rubber was another close encounter with Jon partnering Paul Bitton for BATs and Ray partnering Mark Bullock for Tavistock. It was nip and tuck throughout both games but the BATs pairing won through 21 – 17, 21 – 19 to take the rubber.

The third doubles rubber saw Alan and Paul for BATs take on Ray and Mark for Tavistock. For the first time in the match the rubber went comfortably to one team: BATs 21–14, 21–14.

With just the mixed doubles rubbers to play BATs were 4 rubbers to 2 up and knowing that by winning just one more they would win the match. Whether this affected the first BATs mixed pairing of Jon and Abi when they came up against Colin and Lynne one cannot say but Colin and Lynne proved to be the stronger pair when they took the rubber 21–16, 21–16.

The second mixed doubles rubber matched Alan and Rachael for BATs against Ray and Pauline for Tavistock. Alan and Rachael initially dominated the first game but Ray and Pauline came back. In the end Alan and Rachael took the first game 2 –17. Ray and Pauline then regrouped and changed their strategy by deciding to play on the net. Initially this worked well but Alan and Rachael turned desperate defence into points to stay with the Tavistock pairing.

In the end it came down to who would crack first after the pairs reached 20 all. This proved to be the Tavistock pair when Alan and Rachael took the game and the rubber point 23–21. With Frankie determined to prove she deserved the third ladies' place in the BATs A team the third BATs pairing of Paul and her were determined to win the third mixed doubles rubber against Mark and Jo. The first game was close as the BATs pairing sorted out their game plan but they took it 21–19 before dominating and taking the rubber 21–21.

At the end, the new look BATs A team came out on top by beating Tavistock 6 rubbers to 3.