Badminton Report 14.05.08
North East Wales are Welsh Senior Champions
NEWRBA overcame strong opposition in magnificent style playing in the WBU ICC event in Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff. The team, managed brilliantly by Jason Wakefield, beat West Glamorgan 10-2 in the semi and South Glamorgan 11-1 in a one-sided final.
Against West Glam Damian Renshaw (Flint) lost top singles to international James Phillips 9-21, 12-21. Jason Wakefield (Deeside) evened the score, beating Garnham 21-14, 21-10.Caroline Harvey (Holywell) beat Howell 21-9, 21-8 and Bethan Higginson (Connahs Quay) beat Genders 21-17, 21-14. Matt Sprake (Holywell) and Renshaw beat Phillips and Dix 21-14, 21-17 but Chris Pickard (Mold) and Wakefield lost closely 18-21, 18-21 to Garnham and Chartres. Harvey and Higginson won a close doubles 18-21, 18-21 and Carla White (Flint) and Belinda Jones (Deeside) won narrowly 21-12, 22-20 against Jones and Black.
The mixed doubles was much closer with three of the matches going to three games. In a magnificent battle against Welsh National individual champions Phillips and Howell, Sprake and Harvey came out on top 18-21, 23-21, 21-10. Pickard and Higginson then beat Chartres and Jones 21-9, 21-16. Then Wakefield and White had a struggle to beat Dix and Genders 22-24, 21-17, 21-15 as did Renshaw and Jones to beat Garnham and Black 21-18, 17-21, 21-17.
Though three of the Ladies matches of the final against South Glam went to three games there was no doubt of the superiority of North East Wales overall.
Sprake beat Cox 21-8, 21-10 and Pickard beat Pritchard 21-15, 21-9. Harvey beat Thomas 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 and Higginson just lost in a great match to Blake 21-16, 20-22, 19-21. Sprake and Renshaw were ruthless in beating Cox and Pritchard 21-12, 21-13 as were Pickard and Wakefield beating Short and Reed 21-8, 21-10.Top Ladies doubles was very close but Harvey and Higginson played really steadily in the third game to beat Thomas and Blake 18-21, 21-18, 21-14. White and Jones also had a close match just beating Hughes and Debattista 21-17, 22-20.
Sprake and Harvey won top mixed 21-9, 21-10 against Cox and Blake 21-9, 21-10, Pickard and Higginson beat Pritchard and Thomas 21-15, 21-19, Wakefield and White beat Short and Hughes 21-17, 21-17 and Renshaw and Jones beat Hartley and Debattista 21-19, 21-17.
A splendid result and a number of the team went through the championships undefeated.
front l-r; Carla White, Belinda Jones, Caroline Harvey, Bethan Higginson
back l-r; Jason Wakefield, Matt Sprake, Rod Chambers (WBU President), Damian Renshaw, Chris Pickard, James Phillips (Competition organiser)North East Wales U16 s come third in the Welsh Junior Championships.
The final position could have been so much better; after beating Carmarthenshire convincingly 9-0 they were relegated to third/fourth place play-off after losing 4-5 in a great match to South Glamorgan. It was a strong team performance with Daniel Font and Jonathan Savory (Mold) having the distinction of winning all their matches.
The play-off was won 6-3 against West Glamorgan. In the singles Jordan Ellis (Mold) lost to Sawlani 12-21, 10-21, Ellie Clough lost to Moran 8-21, 7-21. Font and Savory just won an exciting doubles 21-14, 28-26 against John and Sawlani. Chris Owen (Mold) and Ellis beat Bridge and Rees 21-7, 21-10. Tara Moorcroft (Flint) and Danielle Oates (Connahs Quay) had a great battle before losing 21-18, 16-21, 19-21 to Moran and R Richards. Clough and Victoria Wheeler (Flint) beat Szarbo and A Richards 21-9, 21-7. First mixed was close with Font and Moorcroft holding their nerve in a tight second game to beat John and R Richards 21-7, 22-20. Savory and Oates beat Bridge and Szarbo21-3, 21-10 and Owen and Wheeler beat Rees and A Richards 21-8, 21-13.
Managers Dave Russell and Marjorie Savory were really impressed with the team effort and spirit in all the matches.
The Association Talent Identification programme for under 8-10s coached by Derek Harvey and Audrey Harley is progressing well with the first group of twelve developing their skills. Overall 36 players will have been through the course.
Talent ID group with coaches; front row Derek Harvey and Audrey Harley
coaches assistants; back row Ben Travers and Hannah StephensonThe newly formed Castell Alun Junior Club (Coached by Terry Jukes and Jane Liddle) has been getting attendances of over 16 as a result of “taster sessions” in the local Primary schools (Ysgol Derwyn and Ysgol Estyn). They had their first triangular friendly match against Mold and Buckley recently and will enter a team in the Junior League next season.