Phoenix edge win to stay top

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), March 1, 2006

Byline: Graham Turton ,

Phoenix c are still riding high in the Huddersfield Badminton League's Division VII.

They avenged an earlier defeat by Kirkburton C to stay top.

Phoenix started well, winning all the men's rubbers, but then fell away and had to win the last mixed to clinch the match.

Burton's Denis Goodridge teamed up with juniors Omar Mustafal and Harry Horton in the men's, but they proved no match for Richard Stephenson, Bryan Cook and Martin McVeigh, who clinched a 3-0 success.

The ladies was more even with Burton's Jane Quinn, Laura Bateman and Diane Clifford edging it 2-1 against Julie Scott, Hilary Mahony and Carol Gaunt.

Phoenix needed just one of the mixed to take the spoils but quickly found themselves level pegging as Goodridge and Quinn defeated Stephenson and Scott, then Mustafal and Bateman beat Cook and Gaunt, both in three games.

That meant it was all down to the battle between Horton and Clifford and McVeigh and Mahony.

The latter pair's experience paid dividends as they took the rubber in straight games.

Kirkburton F 4 Phoenix C 5.

Men: Goodridge and Mustafal lost to Stephenson and Cook 6-15 7-15, Goodridge and Horton lost to Stephenson and McVeigh 120-15 11-15, Mustafal and Horton lost to Cook and McVeigh 4-15 9-15.

Ladies: Quinn and Bateman beat Scott and Mahony 15-12 15-5, Qinn and Clifford lost to Scott and Gaunt 6-15 5-15, Bateman and Clifford beat Mahony and Gaunt 15-7 15-14.

Mixed: Goodridge and Quinn beat Stephenson and Scott 15-6 11-15 15-9, Mustafal and Bateman beat Cook and Gaunt 15-12 12-15 15-9, Horton and Clifford lost to McVeigh and Mahony 4-15 14-15.

There was another close call in Division VI, where Woodhouse A just snatched a 5-4 victory over Royds Hall D.

It was nip and tuck all the way, with Woodhouse's two mixed wins edging the match.

Royds Hall 4 Woodhouse A 5

Men: Atif Kamran and Andrew Ennis lost to Tony Nicholson and Ian Stuart 15-14 11-15 10-15; Ennis and Russell Dyson beat Nicholson and Calvin Cox 15-9 15-10; Ennis and Dyson beat Stuart and Cox 8-15 15-14 15-11.

Ladies: Helen Lambert and Nicola Horne beat Chris Ford and Veronica Carrapiett 15-5 15-9, Lambert and Julie Ingham lost to Ford and Telitah Buwu 15-12 8-15 14-15; Horne and Ingham lost to Carrapiett and 15-10 14-15 8-15.

Mixed: Kamran and Horne lost to Nicholson and Ford 10-15 14-15; Ennis and Lambert lost to Stuart and Carrapiett 3-15 1-15; Dyson and Ingham beat Cox and Buwu 15-14 15-14.