Tournaments…continued 22nd December, 2014

Well, there may not have been any minced pies but there was plenty of Christmas cheer amidst the supporters, mainly courtesy of Laura Cannan and her flask of mulled wine.

The first match to get started was the men’s doubles final where the young, emerging talent of Sam Cannan and Morgan Shanks, faced the experienced pairing of Graham Robinson and Sam Ames. Point for point, the men battled away in this entertaining match. Morgan’s delicate net shots and left handed deception made both Westholme men work extremely hard. Strong smashes from young Sam Cannan tested the opposition’s defensive play, forcing the final to go to three games. As the third game drew to a close, Graham and Sam Ames nudged in to the lead, resulting in a victory for the Westholme couple.

The semi-final of the mixed doubles, between Claire Edmondson and Paul Ainscoe from Blackburn Seniors, and the Legend that is Andrew Finch who partnered yours truly, for Westholme, played on the adjacent court as the eager eyes of Abdul Malik and Hayley Wilson watched on, anticipating their opponents in the final. Paul’s non- stop effort and commitment were matched by his partner, Claire’s, excellent anticipation and defensive play. Andy’s tactic of wearing his opposition down again took this entertaining semi-final to three. In the end, however, Andy and Claire’s perseverance and dogged attitude paid off and they were victorious.

The final of the mixed beckoned.

Andy Finch set the bar high with his dogged determination and court coverage. The speed with which he returned the unreturnable was matched by Abdul’s deceptive cross court net shots and powerful smashes. Taking regular advice from her experienced partner, Hayley grew in confidence. As always, the Legend took the final to three with the narrowest of margins separating the two evenly matched couples. When the third game reached 20 all, both couples had to double check with Nigel, scorer and tournament organiser supreme, that it was the next point that won the title. It was the sort of game it was a shame one couple had to lose. But, hey, that’s badminton and why we all love it so much. Congratulations to Hayley and Abdul, worthy winners of the mixed doubles tournament.

Well done to all our winners and finalists. Another big thank you to Nigel for organising the league’s tournaments for us, also to Norden Sports Centre for allowing us the use of their venue.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from your very own Roving Reporter (who played dreadfully in both her games which is why she didn’t get a mention!)

Make sure you all go to the Presentation Dance to pick up your trophies!