Uphill Badminton Club start the new season with two of its teams in action.

UPHILL Badminton Club has started its new league season with the D and E teams in action.

The D team were at home to Redwood Lodge in Division 4 and won by eight rubbers to one. The team consisted of three of last years E team juniors namely Sourish Ganapathi, Caroline Higgins and Billy Fear, with Emily Look and senior players Ellen Davis and Carl Harrison.

Uphill got off to a good start when Ellen and Carl winning the first mixed, followed with Emily and Sourish and Caroline and Billy winning the next two mixed rubbers in straight games.

Ellen and Emily then won the first ladies in three, but Ellen and Caroline then lost in two. However, that was the only rubber to be lost as Emily and Caroline won easily, with the men winning all their rubbers. The players to win all their rubbers were Emily, Carl, Sourish and Billy from Uphill.

The E team were away to Portishead B and lost 6-3. This team of juniors contained two of last season’s E team, Callum Grayson and Felicity Pritchard, together with four new juniors, Abbie Rickwood, Harrison Whitehouse, Dannie Stone and Luke Morgan.

In the first mixed, Felicity and Callum lost to Ginny Blackmore and Steve May. Abbie and Harrison then lost to Barbara O’Brien and Clive Thatcher.

Dannie and Luke had a great three game rubber with Chris Brooks and Bryan Wesley winning the first game 21-19, before losing the next two.

The more experienced players of Portishead beat the girls comfortably in straight games. The boys redressed the balance by winning all their three rubbers in straight games.

This was one of the best first league performances by a team of Uphill juniors, most of whom have had little or no previous experience of league badminton and augers well for the future.