UPHILL Badminton Club C, D and E and men’s teams were in action this week.

UPHILL Badminton Club C, D and E and men’s teams were in action this week.

The C team were at home to Wyvern B who came down from Division 2 last season, and lost by eight rubbers to one. Four of the rubbers went to three games and a further rubber having a score of 24-26, 26-28.

The evening started with Louise Malik and Steve Wilson beating Steph Hadley and Glyn Davis. Tracey Hooper and Antony Forster then beat Julie O’Sullivan and Matt Valentine. The third mixed was close, but Elaine Waldren and James Watson eventually beat Maureen Matthews and Robin Curry.

The first and third ladies were won comfortably by Wyvern, but Uphill won the second ladies when Hadley and Matthews beat Malik and Waldren. Wyvern won the first two men’s.

The final rubber of the evening between Valentine and Curry and Wilson and Watson, produced some exciting rallies before the Wyvern pair won 15-21, 21-17, 21-17.

The most successful player of the evening was Wyvern’s Tracey Hooper, who won all her rubbers comfortably in straight games.

The D team with three juniors and the E team with five juniors, played each other in Division 5 with the D team winning a competitive match 6- 3.

Both teams had a player standing in, for the D team it was Fred Brown and for the E team Mary Palmer.

The D team consisted of Emily Look, Grant Kelly (captain), Kate Robinson, Andy Potts, Ellen Davis and Fred Brown, whilst the E team had Caroline Higgins (captain), Billy Fear, Felicity Pritchard, Sourish Ganapathe, Mary Palmer and Callum Grayson.

The match was highly competitive, but played in a friendly spirit, with four of the rubbers being close and going to three games.

In the first mixed Look and Kelly just managed to beat Higgins and Fear, thanks to some consistent play by Emily. The second mixed was an even tighter rubber with Pritchard and Ganapathe stretching Robinson and Potts, who eventually won 21-19, 19-21, 21-17.

The third mixed resulted in the first win for the E team when Grayson and Palmer beat Davis and Brown.

In the ladies rubbers, Look, Robinson and Davis proved too strong for Higgins, Pritchard and Palmer, winning all three ladies rubbers with ease.

The men’s rubbers produced some fine badminton at this level. In the first, the experience of Kelly and Potts Grant overcame some good but inconsistent play by Fear and Ganapathe.

The second and third men’s rubbers were both close and went to three games. In the second Fear and Grayson beat Kelly and Brown and the third saw Ganapathe and Grayson beat Potts and Brown.

For the D team, Look and Robinson won all their rubbers as did Grayson for the E team. This was only Callum’s second league match and it augers well for the future.

The E team, playing their second match of the week, were at home to Nailsea & Yatton and won 7-2.

The evening started badly for Nailsea when their third man was missing, so Rowan Weekes who comes to Uphill junior training, played for them. Then at the end of the first mixed, Trevor Akery pulled a muscle in his leg and had to forfeit his two men’s.

The Uphill team, missing Emily Walker and Callum Grayson, consisted of Kate Robinson, Sourish Ganapathe, Caroline Higgins, Billy Fear, Felicity Pritchard and Harrison Whitehouse.

In the first mixed, Robinson and Ganapathe beat Brenda Bird Akery. The next two mixed were won comfortably by Uphill in straight games.

The first ladies was close with Robinson and Higgins beating Bird and Alison Storm. The second ladies was also close before Bird and Alison Hodgson beat Robinson and Pritchard. The Nailsea ladies won the last ladies easily.

The only men’s rubber, between Fear and Whitehouse and Mervyn Abraham and Weekes, was won by the Uphill pair. In this rubber, young Rowan played well for his age and gained useful experience.

The men’s team were away to Wells City A and won 6-0.

The team of John Hunt, Andy Potts, Paul Wright and Ganapathe all played well. In the first rubber, Hunt and Potts won comfortably. Wright and Ganapathe were then stretched in the second rubber, before beating Dave Hall and Gordon Fulkard.

The Uphill men won all the next three rubbers comfortably in straight games. The last rubber of the evening proved to be the most competitive, with Potts and Wright being taken to three games against Richard Hale and Hall, to end an enjoyable match in straight games.

? NORTH Somerset Badminton Mixed League results – Division 1: Wyvern A 2, Clevedon Feathers A 7; Uphill B 2, Nailsea&Yatton A 7; Nailsea&Yatton A 4, Wyvern A 5.

Division 2: Nailsea&Backwell A 4, Frys B 5.

Division 3: Mark 0, Portishead A 9.

Division 5: Nailsea&Yatton B 7, Nailsea&Yatton C 2; Uphill E 3, Uphill D 6; Chew Valley B 4, Uphill D 5.

Division 6: Clevedon Feathers D 9, Portishead B 0.

Men’s League: Wells City B 1, Nailsea&Backwell 5; Wells City A 0, Winscombe 6; Wells City A 0, Uphill 6.