Bouncebackability might not be a phase found in the English dictionary, but it was oh-so-true for Mapperley Park Badminton Club after a slow start to the season writes Andy Shaw.
After losing the first five matches of the season, the tables have turned dramatically, with the club winning four out the last five.
The one loss came for the 3rd Men’s at home to a well-supported Naseeb. Andy Tyas gave debuts to Dave Hall, who joined from Kimberley in the summer and Dan Wiltshire, also joining in the summer from Arboretum. A slow start gave the away side a 4-0 lead, but the reshaped side came back strong with Andy/Rob and Dave/Harry taking two rubbers each to narrowly miss out 5-4. An encouraging result, considering the 3rd team were pushed up a league by default.
After two tight losses to the University of Nottingham, the 3rd Ladies clawed one back by beating the students 5-4 in another close match. There was a debut for one of our juniors, Rhia Simmonds, under the new captaincy of Sarah Thomas. It was a great team effort, with two rubbers for the pair of Captain Sarah and former captain Maxine. The mother and daughter combination of Aylish and Karen took two rubbers, with Rhia and Kara taking a vital fifth.
The 2nd mixed got back on track with a 5-4 victory away at Forest, with Lisa Straw absent, Kath Sutton came in from the 3rd team to partner Matt Haigh. Captain Jodie and James Watkins took a maximum, leading the way for a good away victory.
The 1st Mixed and 1st Ladies faced local rivals Carlton BC, both within the space of a week. Both matches away from home, on a Friday night, it doesn’t always make for an easy ride. First up were the ladies. They raced into a 5-0 lead, with Nat and Jodie leading the way and silencing the home support. Despite the home side getting on the board late, the final score line was a very pleasing 7-2, getting the ladies off to a strong start in what will be a tough division 1 campaign.
Exactly a week later the 1st Mixed (with half the ladies that had won a week earlier) returned to the same venue. With Nat making a welcome return to partner Steve, Mapperley fielded their strongest side. A tight match was anticipated…. It didn’t’ turn out that way. A convincing 9-0 victory for Mapperley. Dominant from the start, and only dropping two games all evening. A sweet victory that eclipsed the memories of the 5-4 home defeat 2 years ago.
