BADMINTON - UPHILL Badminton Club has made a good start to the new season, with the B and E teams winning their home fixtures and the C team, who were playing away, losing a closely contended match.

UPHILL Badminton Club has made a good start to the new season, with the B and E teams winning their home fixtures and the C team, who were playing away, losing a closely contended match.

The B team were at home to Fry's B in Division 2 of the North Somerset League and won a close competitive match by five rubbers to four. Teresa Davison, Wai Cheung, Christy Langford, Brian Hadley, Denise Burton (captain) and Rob Murray played well. Four of the rubbers went to three games with Fry's winning three and the other rubbers all having close games.

The evening started well for Uphill as they won two of the three mixed rubbers and this was further improved as Teresa and Christy won the first ladies comfortably 21-15, 21-15.

Fry's ladies then hit back, taking the second in a hard fought three game rubber 21-17, 13-21, 15-21. But Christy and Denise then won the third 21-17, 21-10. Wai and Brian won the first men's 21-17, 21-17 to ensure a winning score.

The Fry's men did not let their heads go down and rallied to win the second rubber 21-19, 17-21, 13-21 and then the third 21-17, 16-21, 20-22. The only player in the match to win all their rubbers was Christy Langford, with support from Brian Hadley, Teresa Davison and Denise Burton.

The C team, playing in Division 3 of the North Somerset League, having moved up from Division 4 last season, were away to Portishead A and lost a close match 5-4.

The team, missing Ruth Harding, consisted of Nicole Blunden, Robert Cole, Maureen Matthews (captain), Brian Hadley, Fiona Singleton and Tom Higgins.

This was a match in which the Portishead ladies won all their rubbers and the Uphill men won all theirs. The match was decided by the first three mixed rubbers which all went to three games.

In the first, Nicole and Robert lost 16-21, 21-14, 21-16. In the second, Maureen and Brian won 19-21, 21-17, 15-21 and in the third and deciding mixed, Fiona and Tom lost 21-18, 20-22, 21-13.

Young Tom Higgins, playing up two divisions from last year, played some excellent badminton and showed he is already able to play at this level and is showing great promise for the future.

The E team, whose players were all junior club members, were playing at home to Tickenham and won 9-0. Rachel Harding, Robin Curry, Kate Robinson, Andrew Potts, Emily Walker and Sonny Topham played well and showed a maturity of badminton beyond their years. They showed no mercy as they whitewashed their opposition winning, all their rubbers in straight games.