Junior Badminton Report 28.2.10
U13 Shires League county match at Deeside College
Having been on the end of some severe drubbings from the strong English county teams NEW turned the tables and managed to force a deserved draw 10-10 against Leicestershire.
There were mixed doubles wins for Scott Oates and Beth McLellan (Deeside) 21-16, 21-17 and Iwan Pullen and Cerys Brackenbury (Buckley) 14-21, 21-13, 22-20; Martyn Smith-Aldous (Deeside) and Tonicha Font (Mold) just lost a great battle 21-16, 17-21, 20-22.
At top boys singles Oates was taken to three sets but won 21-17, 11-21, 21-17; David Palmer (Mold) lost narrowly 21-23, 21-18, 12-21. McLellan won top girls singles 21-17, 21-19 and Amy Jukes (Castell Alun) just won 4 th mixed 21-8, 18-21, 24-22.
Oates and Smith-Aldous won one match 21-10, 21-10 but lost concentration to lose the other 18-21, 20-22; Palmer and Pullen won one match 15-21, 21-17, 23-21. McLellan and Bethan Sudder (Mold) won both their girls doubles 21-9, 21-8 and 19-21, 22-20, 21-17 and Jukes and Brackenbury won one 21-8, 24-22. The greater strength of our girls was crucial for the draw. The team is making progress and there is no lack of effort and determination ; we just need to keep concentrating and cut out unforced errors.
In the Junior Badminton League fixture held at Flint Pavilion Connah's Quay A continued their charge towards winning the Junior League Championship with two more wins in the 1 st division beating a depleted Deeside A 5-1 and Mold A 4-2, Deeside A without their top player, away on International duty were demoted to Division 2.
Flint A were winners of Division 2 winning their games 5-1 and 6-0 and beating Buckley A by 1 game on count-back to clinch promotion, Mold B hung on to their place in Division 2 by the same margin of only one game from Connah's Quay B who were demoted.
Division 3 was won by Castell Alun B with the unusual event of winning more games than their A team who were runners up, Buckley ended up in the same situation as Connah's Quay B in Division 2 and lost their battle for survival in the division by one game.
The true dog fight of the day was in Division 4; first Connah's Quay C ended up equal on games won and lost with Llanferres A but won the division by one point. Then Mold D and Llanferres B ended in the same situation but this time in the demotion battle; Mold D lost the fight by just three points and crashed out of Division 4.
Division 5 was won by Flint B, again by the narrow margin of just 1 game from Flint C; Buckley C were demoted by the same margin.
Prestatyn B were comfortable winners of a truncated Division 6 (because one team not turn up) winning both games 5-1.