Tag: North East Wales Badminton

Connah’s Quay’s juniors triumph as League and Tournament champions

Connah’s Quay Junior Badminton Club showed why they are so highly regarded as members of the North East Wales Junior Badminton League.

With talent galore and masterminded by top Coach, Jane Roberts, they have swept all before them this season, becoming Junior League Champions and then going on to win the prestigious Gareth Coppack Memorial Team Tournament with Emily Finch voted the League’s Girls Sports Personality for 2019/2020.

The winning squad, seen in the picture, consisted of L to R and back row, Jack Foster, Tim Roberts-Biggs, Kyle Roberts-Lamb, Declyn Bayly, Aarthy Aravind, Grace Evans, Will Winfield, Emily Finch and Rhianna Goodrum; front row Liam Ellis, Ben Foster and Abhishek Aravind.

In the North East Wales Senior Badminton League the Corona virus implication has had an unfortunate effect on play, with the League Committee taking urgent action to safeguard the health of its members by cancelling the remaining fixtures.

In Division 3 second placed Holywell A visited the other side of town to whitewash Flint Phoenix C  8 – 0. At second mixed Chris Travers and Gwenda Moorcroft came closest to winning for Flint when they took on David and Anne Booth. Travers and Moorcroft opened up and played some sublime attacking badminton to take the first game 21/19. However the Booth duo dug in and responded with a change of tactics in the second game to seize the initiative. With Travers and Moorcroft outplayed and forced on the defensive the Booths ran out comfortable 21/5 winners. The decider was a real humdinger of a game; the lead constantly changing hands with long rallies being enjoyed by the spectators. With nothing to choose between the two pairs it came down to who made the least unforced errors and that turned out to be the battling Booths who edged it 21/18 to take the game and their match.

Denbigh B hosted Llanferres D who arrived a lady short and having to concede two events were up against it at the start of their match. Denbigh went on to capitalise on Llanferres situation and with strength in depth cruised to a 6 – 2 win. Player of the match for Denbigh, Jane Thomas, teamed up with Bethan Sian to put on a dazzling display of ladies doubles to overwhelm Emma Browne and Pauline Brooke-Rankin to win easily by 21/5 and 21/9.

 

Carys nets a double in the Senior League tournament

The North East Wales Badminton Senior League held their final handicap tournament of the season with great support from players, including 11 juniors, representing Buckley, Deeside, Eros, Llanferres and Mold clubs.

The Men’s Doubles final was between the area’s outstanding Welsh National Squad juniors Matthew Swash and Liam Hird (Scr) who took on the more experienced pairing of Dave Markey and Owain Astley (-8). Playing each game to 21 points and the best of three games, Swash and Hird got off to a whirlwind start and making most of the difference in the handicaps went convincingly into the lead. However, Markey and Astley fought back and playing some superb badminton laced with heavy smashes and aggressive net play levelled the score. Not to be outdone, the two juniors showed that all the coaching they have received over the years has been taken on board and holding their nerve, moved into a more attacking mode and with less unforced errors outmanoeuvred their opponents to clinch the first game 21/15. The second game was something of an anticlimax with Swash and Hird now having got the measure of Markey and Astley moved up a gear to comfortably take the second game and the title by 21/11.

The Ladies Doubles was played in a group with all pairs playing each other, with some fantastic game of badminton enjoyed by the spectators. The outcome was a win for Welsh National Squad player Carys Jones partnered by Heather Astley (-10) and in second place was Lara Griffiths and Hannah Harrison (+10)

Carys Jones featured again in the Mixed Doubles final along with local star Jamie Noble (-14) when they faced Anthony Welch and, in her second final, Heather Astley (-5). With all four showing great skill and determination, this was the match of the evening with mixed doubles being played at its best.The handicappers got it right, with the first game long in rallies including some superb net play backed up by fierce attacking smashes. There was little to choose between the two pairs with Astley dominating the net on one side and Noble tactically astute on the other. With an outcome that could have gone either way Noble stepped up a gear and allied to Jones quick movement about the court they edged the first game 21/19. Although Welch and Astley went ahead in the second game Jones and Noble dug in and in a dazzling display of mixed tactics overwhelmed their opponents to take the second game and the title by 21/14.

Congratulations to Tournament Organiser, David Hewitt and his team for another well run event.

Undefeated Heather and Amy star for Prestatyn

In Division 1 of the North East Wales Badminton League, an under strength Mold B travelled to take on the might of Flint Phoenix A and despite a spirited performance found the opposition in an unforgiving mood and went own 8 – 0. Flint’s third mixed pairing of Andy Gibbons and Carla White was in good form and with little difficulty trounced Owain Sparrow and Jane Peace to win by 21/10 and 21/9.

Denbigh A’s away fixture to Mold A provided a very competitive match with five events being decided over three games. However the final outcome went down the last event of the evening when Mold’s second pairing of Liam Hird and Joe Nesbitt combined well and making less unforced errors in the third game overcame Matty Vacher and Rich Elston, winning by 21/17, 15/21 and 21/14; to clinch a close 5 – 3 win for the home team.

Still looking for their first win of the season in Division 2, Llanferres C faced home team and fellow strugglers Rossett B in what should been a close tie. Rossett were having none of it and in an assured team effort they easily dispatched the visitors, winning 8 – 0. Match of the evening was at fourth mixed where Rossett’s pairing of the savvy Dave Lovatt and Jo Sanderson recovered from a disasterus start, to dig in and just get the better of Moira Bonar and Martyn Davies in the third, winning 12/21, 21/18 and 21/19.

The mid-table clash at home between an under-strength Prestatyn A and guests Hawarden went surprisingly 7 – 1 in favour of the visitors. Undefeated all season, “reserves” Amy Roberts and Heather Owen starred for Prestatyn at second ladies when they powered their way to a textbook win over Di Fardoe and Carol Hughes by 21/18 and 21/11.

Roberts and Owen were at it again in Prestatyn B’s Division 3 match against Connah’s Quay when they took on Susan Chisholm and Sian Elias to win a tight three game classic by 13/21, 21/11, 21/14 and remain undefeated.

A man short, Flint C were up against it when they visited Denbigh B and their 6 – 2 defeat summed up the gulf between the teams. At second ladies Bethan Sian and Jane Thomas were in outstanding form and playing some sublime badminton gave a 21/6, 21/7 drubbing to Gwenda Moorcroft and Steph Lacey in two rather quick games.

Great win for North East Wales youngsters over Conwy

Two junior teams representing the North East Wales Badminton League’s Junior Satellite Squad, took on their longstanding rivals, Conwy recently at Mold. The Under 15 team of George Furnival, Ben Bromwich, Harry Ledsham, Cathal Johnson and Elliot Caines rose to the occasion and playing some fantastic badminton triumphed 6 – 4.

 

 

The Under 17 team consisted of Max Gilbert, Luke Hughes, Tomos Tustain, Adam Griffiths, Will Winfield, Hannah Harrison, Megan Blackburn and Grace Evans with all playing superbly to go on and win 9 – 7. Will Winfield, Grace Evans and Cathal Johnson starred, putting in particularly strong performances, each winning all their three matches.

 

 

 

In the League’s latest tables to the 29 February Division 1 is still headed by, as yet, undefeated Eros on 91 points, closely followed by Flint Phoenix A on 89.

Flint Phoenix A reinforced their determination to challenge for the top position with a resounding 8 – 0 win away over Mold B. At fourth mixed for Mold, Dan Roberts and Lili Thomas came closest to a home win when they took David Carnelly and Jude Hughes to three games before losing out by 21/15, 11/21 and 13/21.

Mold’s A team however went one better when they entertained Deeside and with the visitors handicapped by being a lady short, applied the 8 – 0 whitewash. Deeside’s Ashley Oxborough and Gareth Thomas put up serious resistance in their top men’s doubles against Ton Peace and Pete Walker just losing out by 21/19, 11/21 and 20/22.

Flint Phoenix B sit on top of Division 2 with 94 points with Buckley in second position on 89.

Flint Phoenix B showed their strength in depth when they demolished Llanferres B 8 -0. Only at fourth mixed did Flint’s Alfie Moorcroft and Holly Gill not win in two straight games when they were taken to the decider by Ben Garnett and Moira Bonar before clinching the match by 18/21, 21/12 and 21/16.

The clash between second placed Buckley and third placed Llangollen proved to be a highly competitive match with little to choose between the two teams and the result was a fair 4 – 4 draw. Event of the evening was at second ladies which saw Buckley’s Alison Ince and Chris Dailey take a hard earned match against Jo Drummett and Zoe Pritchard by 17/21, 21/19 and 21/18.

In Division 3 Connah’s Quay look certainties for promotion with 97 points along with Holywell A on 91.

The Quay cleared up at Llanferres D when they put the home team to the sword winning 8 – 0. At second mixed Sian Elias and Kris Paterson had to work hard in a long three game thriller to eventually edge out Martyn Davies and Pauline Brooke – Rankin by 18/21, 23/21 and 21/15.

Confusion over names on the score sheet didn’t prevent Mold C from securing a comfortable 8 – 0 win over bottom club Holywell B. Match of the evening was at third mixed which saw Eve Ellis and rising star James Maddocks play impressively to take their event with Hilary Roberts and John Speed by 18/21, 21/17 and 21/17.