Marchon 2 got their West Cumbria Badminton League Mixed 2 title defence underway with a trip to Seascale 3.
Although a new look second team they were keen to continue where Marchon 2 left off last season by not losing a match on their way to the title.
The first game saw a dominant performance from Marchon’s A pair of John Le Jeune/Yvonne Wilkinson, running out winners 21-11, 21-9 against Paul Hutchinson/Liz Bostock.
For the second game on court Seascale’s pair of James O’Hanlon/Rona Daniels played in a three ender against the partnership (on and off the court) of Matt O’Sullivan/Becka Steven.
With some good close games being played, it was the home side who edged it to win 15-21, 21-16, 21-12.
In the next round of games, Hutchinson/Bostock were not going to go down as easily as the first game, as they took on O’Sullivan/Steven and came right out the blocks fighting to win the first end 21-17.
The away pair fought back and held their nerve to take the second 21-19 and then fired on all cylinders in the third end to win 21-12, to take the match 2-1.
In the other game, Marchon’s A pair, Le Jeune/Wilkinson won in two ends, 21-17, 21-11 against O’Hanlon/Daniels.
It meant Marchon had a lead of 3-1 going into the final two change-over games needing just one to claim overall victory. First up was Le Jeune/Steven against Hutchinson/Daniels, and the away side took no time in securing the fourth game under their belt to secure the team victory.
Marchon proved too strong in the last, and not wanting to be outdone by their C pair, the D pair of O’Sullivan/Wilkinson matched their team mates score, winning 21-12, 21-7 against the home side’s O’Hanlon/Bostock, for a 5-1 victory to keep their unbeaten league run going from last season.
Seascale and Cockermouth met in the Men’s League with the reigning champions on their travels.
Up first for the away side was the Max Statter/Corey Stewart pairing against Seascale’s Joe Alderson/Jordan Martin.
The Cockermouth duo won the first end comfortably 21-11, and although the home pair put up a solid fight, they just lost the second end 19-21 for the visitors’ first point.
Next up were Richard Earl and Andrew White, and they took the first end against Cockermouth’s B pair of Henry Taylor/Michael Dodd, 21-17.
The away duo come back in the second to win 21-15, taking it to a third end, in which the Seascale pair ran away winners, 21-12, to level at 1-1.
The next set of games saw Taylor/Dodd of Cockermouth take on Alderson/Martin in a close fought game.
The home pair took the first end 21-17, and the away side replied by winning the second end, 21-16, which set up a very close decider.
It was the home pair that managed to hold their nerve in a nail-biting win, 24-22, to give Seascale a 2-1 lead.
In the other game Seascale’s Earl/White were in a battle with Cockermouth’s A pair, Statter/Stewart.
Seascale managed to cause an upset in the first end, winning 23-21, however it wasn’t to be long lived, as the home side must have run out of steam as the Cockermouth pair stepped it up, running away clear winners, 21-12, 21-7 to make it 2-2 overall.
In the change over games, Alderson this time playing with Earl, took on Statter/Taylor, and the away pair claimed the game 21-9, 21-19 to give them their three games on the scoreboard.
In the final game it was Cockermouth who got off to the better start, with Stewart/Dodd winning 21-18, but the home paid were not done yet. Martin/White battled through and managed to take the second end 21-14 keeping the match alive.
After a close fought game in the third end, it was the away pair who came through to win 21-17, and claim a 4-2 victory for last season’s Men’s champions.
Marchon were looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Ladies League when they travelled to play Seascale 2.
Both sides had sisters playing in the same game, which is the first time that will have happened for many a year – or if at all.
In the first round of games Becka Steven/Issy Ritchie beat Seascale’s Rachel Hamilton/Liz Bostock, 21-10, 21-19.
The other game saw a similar outcome, with Seascale’s Sarah Hamilton/Tara Stewart losing out to Marchon’s pair of Katie Ritchie/Frances Mounsey, 15-21, 9-21.
It was business as usual for Marchon’s A pair, Steven/I. Ritchie winning 21-10, 21-12 against Seascale’s S.Hamilton/Stewart. However the other match didn’t go the way of the away side, instead the home team duo of R. Hamilton/Bostock put up a fight in an epic battle against K Ritchie/Mounsey.
They lost out 17-21 in the first end, but managed to fight their way back in a nervy second end, just pipping the away side to it, winning 22-20.
The third end was similar, with both sides battling to win a point, but the home team edged it, 21-19, to get the first point on the board for Seascale.
With the change-over games to be played. Seascale needed to win both to secure a draw.
The home side of R and S Hamilton, were up against Steven, playing this time round with Mounsey, and it was the away side who came out on top, 21-10, 21-19 to claim Marchon’s fourth game of the match and overall victory.
It left the two youngsters, the Ritchie sisters bidding to claim a fifth game.
This time they were up against Seascale’s Bostock/Stewart, and they were not going to disappoint, winning 21-12, 21-14, to give Marchon a 5-1 victory to keep the unbeaten run going.
Cockermouth entertained Seacale in their first match in the newly formed doubles league.
Cockermouth 2 won the Men’s 2 Division last season, which has since changed into the new Doubles League this season, so technically Cockermouth are defending their title this season.
However, the home side didn’t get off to a good start.
In the first game Andy Smith/Andrew Elliott took on James O’Hanlon/Omal Jayawardena, and it appeared to be an epic battle between them.
The Seascale pair took the first end 21-15, only for the home side to fight back to claim the second, 21-17.
The third end ran away from them, and the Seascale A pair won 21-11 giving them the first point of the match.
In the other game, Seascale stalwarts Paul Hutchinson/John Alderson managed to use their experience and skills, to overcome the home pair of Dan Casson/Jack Firth, winning in two ends, 21-17, 21-15, to give Seascale a 2-0 lead after the first set of games.
With the doubles league changing partnerships each game, Cockermouth managed to get themselves on the scoreboard, with Smith this time playing with Casson, winning 21-15, 21-19 against O’Hanlon/Hutchinson.
But the away team were not done there. Jayawardena, this time playing with Alderson, made light work of their game against Elliott/Firth, winning 21-7, 21-11, giving Seascale a 3-1 lead going into the last two games.
First up was an epic battle between Cockermouth’s Elliott/Casson, and Seascale’s Jayawardena/Hutchinson, with the home side losing the first end 17-21.
They fought back to take the second end 21-18, and then in the third end it was the away duo who managed to hold their nerve, winning 21-19 in a very close contest where any of the three ends could have gone either way.
This gave Seascale overall victory, with one left to play in which Cockermouth’s pair of Smith/Firth managed to take the first end against O’Hanlon/Alderson, 21-15.
But the visitors fought back, and won the last two ends, 21-7, 21-14, to claim a victory and give Seascale a 5-1 win.
