Cambs IInds Continue to Grind Out Results

Traditionally, the matches against neighbours Northants has always thrown up tight and hard-fought matches for the Cambs senior IInd team.  This Sunday was certainly no exception.  With the Inter-Counties Championships Division 5 East league finely balanced, both teams could go top of the table with a win.

It was certainly good weather for badminton, with gale-force winds and torrential rain battering the hall and lending an extra sense of foreboding to the events of the day.

The game started well, with both mens singles representatives Stephen Pickering and Neil Place clinching straight-sets wins.  It was harder going for the ladies though, and Adele Woodhams and Kate Marshall found the Northants girls strong and confident, and once the singles were over, the match was level at 2-2.

The men again went into the singles with a ferocity matching the weather, against Northants men who were also very quick and powerful.  After a brief slip in the middle end of their first game, Stephen and Abu Kaher won their games, and Masters partnership Neil and skipper Daniel Bates also secured full points in straight sets.

It was with the ladies again however, where Cambs found the resistance tougher.  Adele and Katie Morton won their first game comfortably, but then despite the closest of scores (23-21, 21-23, 20-22!!) couldn't quite close out the game against the second Northants pair.  Kate and Louise Tarbit struggled to establish a winning run, and lost both games.

So although the team entered the mixed 7-5 leaders, the result of the match, and even the destination of the bonus point, were still very much in the air.

Thankfully, Kate and Abu finished their mixed first, having triumphed in two ends, although Abu couldn't resist plucking taught nerves even further with a 21-19 finish in the second.  With the win secure, Neil and Adele came in next with a convincing win in the third end, notwithstanding a tense 28-26 win in the first, and loss in the second.

That left Stephen and Lou on court to fight for the bonus point to put clear space between Cambs and Northants at the top of the table, with the full vocal support of the team behind them. However, despite fighting to overcome a first game loss, and winning a commanding 21-11 in the second, they could never establish a lead and were taken 21-19 in the last. 

A result of 9-6 was a terrific outcome for the team - many of whom were coming into the match off the back of competing in the Cambs Silver the day before.  It leaves Cambs II in a commanding league position, with their success in their own hands.  Next match is the home return of Northants, so at least the same performance is required!

The team: Stephen Pickering, Neil Place, Abu Kaher, Daniel Bates (c), Katie Morton, Adele Woodhams, Kate Marshall, Louise Tarbit.

More information about results of the Cambs II team is available on the Team Page.

Silver Festival Provides Multiple Champions

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Harry Wang: Winner, Mens Singles Cambridgeshire Senior Silver

The Cambridgeshire Senior Silver saw a superb standard of badminton competition across Friday evening and Saturday.  Very highly-ranked national standard players descended on Cambridge Regional College (CRC) to compete for the honours in the Badminton England Silver Circuit competition.

Many Cambridgeshire players were involved in the tournament, but only one - Sara Cunnington - emerged with top honours.

Winners

Mens Singles: Harry Wang (Hampshire)

Ladies Singles: Lynnlette Aung (Dorset)

Mixed Doubles: Sara Cunnington (Cambridgeshire) & Chris Tonks (Warwickshire)

Mens Doubles: Eddie Chow (Essex) and Daniel Chipperfield (Essex)

Ladies Doubles: Ella Tripp (Cheshire) & Brodie Miller (Oxfordshire)

A collection of photographs of the winners is available on the Gallery page.

The full results draw are available on the BE Tournament Software site via the link: bit.ly/csilver2014

Cambs IIIrds Register Norfolk Win

Cambs IIIrds started their first home match of the season with a win in both men's singles. James Watkins took a while to get going against Norfolk number one, winning comfortably in the third end 21 -12. Geoff Green at number two, recently welcomed back from a month of Carribean holiday, cruised to a comfortable win in two ends. Ladies singles, and our ladies found it tough against well trained opposition. Both ladies losing in two ends.

2-2, going into the men's doubles, Paul Martell and James Watkins playing at number one, after going awol in the second, won the third easily 21-9. They also went on to defeat the second pairing. New pairing of Damien Dugmore and Geoff Greene comfortably beating the second pair, and just losing out to the first's 21-19, 21-19. The ladies competed in some well-contested games, Laurel Bennett and Liz Salmon, losing to the first pair in two and narrowly losing out to the seconds in three. Sharon Chandler and Klaudia Otoka were unlucky not to take the second pair to three and lost out to the first in two ends.

Going into the mixed 5-7, Cambs had it all to do. News spread quickly that Liz had brought some of legendary chocolate brownies, sugared up, Sharon and Paul at number one had too much quality for their opposition winning in two. With Liz and James replicating the score line, it was 7-7, winner takes all! Laurel and Damien with nerves of steel made it look easy, winning in two ends, to take the tie 8-7.

A great win, showing our strength in mixed game play.

Joint players of the match: Laurel and Damien.

The Team: Damien Dugmore, James Watkins, Geoff Green, Paul Martell (c), Laurel Bennett, Liz Salmon, Sharon Chandler, Klaudia Otoka (j)

Match report by Paul Martell.

More information about results of the Cambs III team is available on the Team Page.

Cambs Ist Christmas Bonus

On Sunday 15th December Cambridgeshire’s Ist badminton team kicked off Christmas in style as they took on East Anglian Division 2 East league rivals, Norfolk.  Norfolk fielded four extremely strong ladies, so Cambs knew it was going to be a tough match.

The match started with the men’s singles, Min Dabasinskas playing Norfolk’s top singles player (Daniel Leers) and Paul Heads playing their second singles player (Mike Philpott).  Both games were extremely hardly fought with the rest of the Cambs players maintaining the standing of being the loudest supporters in the league!  Both Min and Paul played outstandingly and were eventually both victorious.

Next was the turn of the ladies singles, with Natalie Taylor playing against their top singles player (Devon Minnis) and Olga Bryant playing against their second lady (Louise Culyer).  Unfortunately, the opposition were too strong and both Cambs ladies lost in two straight games.

Next came the doubles, with Cambs’ first mens pair of Min and Simon Woodhouse teaming up together and winning both of their doubles games in style against Gerrard/Atmore and Piff/Leers.    Paul then paired up with Sam Scharf to play well and pick up a win against Piff/Leers, but unfortunately lost to Gerrard/Atmore, losing 23-21 in the second end.

The ladies doubles was always going to be an uphill struggle with Norfolk fielding current and ex-England National players.  Nat and Sara Cunnington had a slow start against their top pair of Culyer/Pike, but came back stronger in the second end, narrowing losing out, but fared better against Norfolk’s second pair (Minnis/Cooper), losing a very close three-ender, 21-18 in the third.  Olga and Alison Meijers then took on the might of Norfolk, but also lost to both Norfolk pairs, although in extremely close games.

So, Cambs were 5-7 down going into the mixed doubles and needed all three to win.  Cambs first pair of Min/Olga and 3rd pair, Sam/Sara, went on court and quickly showed their dominance, winning both games comfortably.  The last game on court (second mixed) Si/Nat v Atmore/Culyer became the match decider…So to keep everyone their toes, Nat and Si decided to make it as close as possible and see how many supporters nerves would break!!!  Luckily, they were “completely” in control and eventually won the third end 24-22… giving Cambs Ist Team their first victory of the season.

Thanks to Sara and Alison for baking lovely Christmas treats and congratulations to Si and Min for winning joint players of the match.

So in true Cambs 1st celebratory style (and to get in the Christmas spirit) you are expected to sing the rest of the match report…

Ready??....

On the 12 days of Christmas Cambs 1st team gave to me…
12 points for league leaders 
11 points more than cambs had!
10 days til Christmas
9 ladies doubles ends 
8 top cambs players
7 doubles ends won
6 men’s singles ends
5 hours of badminton
4 doubles pairs
3 mixed doubles wins
2 men of the match 
And A WIN FOR CAMBS BADMINTON FIRSTS!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The team: Mindaugas Dabasinskas, Paul Heads, Simon Woodhouse, Sam Scharf, Natalie Taylor, Olga Bryant, Sara Cunnington (c), Alison Meijers.

Match report by Natalie Taylor.

More information about results of the Cambs I team is available on the Team Page.

Cambs Ists Host League Leaders Leics I

On 1st December Cambridgeshire Ist team hosted league leaders Leicestershire I in what was inevitably going to be a very tough afternoon.  And so it proved...

Having been a long-standing & established Premier Division team only a few seasons ago, it's rather a surprise to see Leicestershire's Ist team competing in Division 2 this season.  And with this season's return of their star player Tom Armstrong from coaching in New Zealand, Leicestershire appear to be back to the strength of prior years; which they are emphatically proving so far this season, having won all of their opening 3 matches against Norfolk, Hertfordshire & Warwickshire with convincing 12-3 scorelines.

Cambridgeshire were therefore under no illusions of the size of the task facing them as singles players took to the courts...

Min Dabasinskas produced an excellent performance to take Tom Armstrong to 3 sets, but the opponent was able to show his true pedigree in the 3rd end, taking it 21-9.

At second singles Paul Heads showed early promise in the first end, losing out 21-15 to a meticulous James White.  However the resolute steadiness & consistency of the Leicestershire player proved too much as he took the second end 21-9.

Leicestershire completed the clean-sweep of the singles games by also taking both ladies' singles.  Natalie Taylor narrowly lost out in 21-15 in a deciding set, despite producing what was arguably her strongest singles performance of the season.  And at second singles, Olga Bryant fell to a 21-15, 21-16 defeat.

The first round of level doubles followed in the same vein as Leicestershire enforced their strength, again taking all 4 rubbers despite some very close contests; most notably Natalie & Sara Cunnington at top ladies doubles, losing out 21-17 in a deciding set.  There were also fighting performances from Ist team debutant Abu Kaher, and Adele Woodhams.

However, the second round of level doubles saw Cambridgeshire eventually reap rewards for all their efforts.  Simon Woodhouse & Min took a fantastic straight-sets victory against the strong twin-brother pairing of James & Simon White.  And Natalie & Sara showed they were back to top form with a straight-sets victory over Leicestershire's second ladies pair.

Cambridgeshire were trailing 10-2 going in to the mixed, with a league point out of reach, but needing just one of the three mixed matches to reach the more realistic goal of matching the scoreline achieved by the division's other teams.

Min & Olga faced the arduous task at top mixed of facing Tom Armstrong & Sarita Patel, and were unable to produce an upset despite a strong start, falling 21-16, 21-10.

At third mixed Paul & Sara came flying out of the blocks in the first set, and showed their battling qualities in a tight second set, as they toppled Mark King & Jenny Scarlett 21-8, 23-21; moving Cambridgeshire's tally to 3.

Sadly, the opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the league, and take more games from Leicestershire than any other opponent this season, fell short in unfortunate circumstances.

At second mixed Simon & Natalie appeared to be in control as they lead the opening set 14-9, showing excellent attacking pace.  However, an untimely & unwelcomed recurrence of an old back injury cut Simon's afternoon short.  Despite bravely attempting to play through the first set, given their considerable lead, they were unable to stagger over the finish line, losing 21-19.  Sadly, a second set never made it to court.

So, despite a 12-3 loss, there were plenty of positives to take forward in the campaign.  And realistically, the fate of Cambridgeshire's season was never going to be determined on this result.  Much more crucial is the visit of Norfolk in two weeks time, where a victory will be essential in the battle to avoid the dreaded threat of relegation.

Congratulations to Natalie Taylor on being voted player of the match.

The team: Mindaugas Dabasinskas, Paul Heads, Simon Woodhouse, Abu Kaher, Natalie Taylor, Olga Bryant, Sara Cunnington (c), Adele Woodhams.

Match report by Simon Woodhouse.

More information about results of the Cambs I team is available on the Team Page.

IInd Team Enjoy Home Success (and Chocolate Orange)

On Sunday 8th December, the Cambs Senior IInd team faced Leics IIIrds at CRC.  Having exchanged the honours 8/7 and 7/8 with the same team last season, a close match was expected.

Cambs' players however were out of the blocks swiftly, with Stephen Pickering, Neil Place and Adele Woodhams all enjoying success in their singles, and Vicky Norris also putting up a brave battle, beaten only 20-22 in the second game.

It was a similar story in the level doubles.  Stephen and Abu Kaher, and Neil and Daniel Bates all tore viciously through their Leics opponents in straight games.  Adele and Louise Tarbit also won their games, albeit with a mid-match wobble against the Leics second pair.  Vicky teamed with Kate Marshall, but they were edged out of both matches, although by a fine margin against the Leics first pair losing 20-22, 18-21.

With a 9-3 lead under their belts, and the full points within their grasp, it was a determined squad which returned to the courts for the mixed round. Neil and Adele enjoyed a topsy-turvy ride, only winning their first end 22-20 before really slotting into gear and taking the second 21-4!  Stephen and Louise and Abu and Kate followed them home with similar straight-sets victories.

So the final result was a super 12-3 outcome, and the IInd team go joint top of the Division 5 East table for the time being.

The team celebrated their result by devouring the chocolate orange brownie which had been baked especially for the occasion, and contained *LINDT orange intense dark chocolate*!!  It was a confectionery experience which will be tough to top...

The team: Stephen Pickering, Neil Place, Abu Kaher, Daniel Bates (c), Katie Morton, Adele Woodhams, Kate Marshall, Vicky Norris, Louise Tarbit.

More information about results of the Cambs II team is available on the Team Page.

Cambs II show Jekyll and Hyde performances against Beds II

Across 3 and 24 November, Cambs II faced a double-headed battle against the Beds II team away and at home, in what turned out to be a crazy tale of two matches.

The first match away at Beds was a cold and disappointing experience.  On a tricky, undulating surface, it was immediately apparent that it was likely to be a tough day, with Stephen Pickering, Abu Kaher and Molly Carter all beaten in the singles - only Stephen taking an end.  The only light in the tunnel was Adele Woodhams' singles, where she edged the third end 21-19.

In the mens doubles Cambs' recovered some composure.  Abu and Stephen continued what is becoming a strong partnership by taking both their games in straight sets, and Neil Place and Daniel Bates also took their first game in two, but were annoyingly defeated 21-19 in the third end of their second game which had been so tight that both other ends had run into setting.

The ladies were still struggling to impose themselves, with Molly and Kate Marshall, and Adele and Vicky Norris losing all four doubles matches, albeit with three going to three ends.

That left Cambs 4-8 down going into the mixed, with only the single point to fight for.  However, Neil and Adele succumbed quickly, and Daniel and Kate also suffered at the hands of a formidable singles player on the mixed court.  It was only Stephen and Adele who put up a fight by winning their second end to 14, but couldn't maintain their performance and were beaten in three.

So having lost 11-4 away, it was a nervous Cambs team that finally got to play on home turf on 24 November when Beds II returned.  Skipper Daniel Bates was suffering from a cold, so was replaced by James Watkins.  Katie Morton and Louise Tarbit also returned to bring the squad to full strength.  The Beds II team was familiar, albeit arranged in a slightly different way.

As soon as the singles began, it could be seen that Cambs were up for the fight.  Stephen Pickering triumphed quickly in straight sets 21-10, 21-11.  Neil Place and Kate Marshall both fought bravely, but were beaten in two, although Kate suffered a nailbiting 21-19 in the second end.  Vicky Norris though showed a strong performance, and won her match - accelerating away to a 21-14 win in the third end.

Just the glimmer of a chance gave Cambs the spur they needed going into the doubles, and with all four CRC courts in use, the action was frenetic.  Although this time three of the four mens' games went the distance, the Cambs men of Neil Place and James, and Abu Kaher and Stephen secured all four matches.  

In the brightness of the home CRC venue, the ladies doubles was night-and-day from the previous experience, with a battling performance throughout.  Katie Morton and Adele Woodhams gave a commanding showing winning both matches in straight games.  Kate and Louise Tarbit also worked well together, securing their first match before enjoying a walkover due to injury.

So, in an amazing turnabout, the score was 10-2 to Cambs going into the mixed, and the team was clearly on a roll.  Neil and Adele, and Abu and Katie, secured their matches in comfortable fashion in straight sets.  After narrowly losing the first game, Louise and Stephen also got back into gear, and won with a commanding 21-11, 21-11 finish, resulting in a 13-2 success for Cambs.

The lack of baking was amply made up for by the provision of incredible Flake (tm) Rolls!

The team: Stephen Pickering, Neil Place, Abu Kaher, James Watkins, Katie Morton, Adele Woodhams, Kate Marshall, Vicky Norris, Louise Tarbit.

More information about results of the Cambs II team is available on the Team Page.