UPHILL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR FOURTH SUCCESSIVE YEAR

UPHILL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR FOURTH SUCCESSIVE YEAR

The Uphill 'A' team have just played there last two league matches of the season and finished in style, beating their closest contenders Nailsea & Backwell 'A' by 7 rubbers to 2 and then trouncing Wyvern 'A' by 9 rubbers to 0 to become the League Champions for the fourth successive year.

The team for both matches was the same and consisted of Nicky Mills (Capt.), Mark Edwards, Jenny Cross, Paul Edwards, Alex Mole and Becky Halfpenny. In the first match against Nailsea & Backwell Uphill lost a hard fought first mixed rubber 18-21, 24-26. Then Jenny & Paul won the next mixed comfortably with some exceptionally good badminton, before Becky & Alex won a marathon first game in the last mixed 29-27 and followed it up in the next game 21-16.

In the ladies doubles the first rubber between Di Durston & Sharon Quantick (N & B) and Nicky & Jenny was great to watch with some excellent rallies in the last two games. In the first game it looked as though Di & Sharon were going to win easily when they took the first game 8-21, but Nicky & Jenny dug-in, changed tactics and won the next two games and the rubber 21-19, 21-17 after some long hard rallies. In the second ladies Di Durston & Nicola Caulfield proved too strong for Nicky & Becky and won 18-21, 8-21. The last ladies rubber was another close affair with Jenny & Becky winning 21-18, 22-20.

The first mens rubber saw Mark & Paul in scintillating form winning 21-10, 21-13. The second mens started well for Mark & Alex winning the first game 21-11 but they then lost concentration and the second game 15-21, before pulling themselves together and winning the last game 21-13. There was never any doubt about the last rubber as Paul & Alex won 21-16, 21-13. This win once again made Uphill the League Champions with a match in hand.

The photo below shows the winning team from L to R: -

Back - Alex Mole, Mark Edwards, and Paul Edwards. Front - Nicky Mills, Becky Halfpenny and Jenny Cross

In the second match against local rivals Wyvern, the team were in no mood to let the opposition win any rubbers and again produced some excellent badminton, this time whitewashing the opposition. All of the rubbers were won comfortably with only two mixed rubbers going to three games and only two games in the whole evenings play being close. There was a 23-21 in the last ladies rubber and a 22-20 in the second mens rubber. The team finished the League season having played 10, won 9, and got 66 rubbers and 79 points. Nailsea & Backwell finished runners-up with 68 points.