The end of March saw the Mixed team travel up to Lichfield to take on Three Spires. Having lost 9-0 at home earlier in the month, albeit with some good play having gone unrewarded, it looked like another tough night ahead. However this time the good play did earn some return. With chances in most of the rubbers, it was almost with some disappointment that we ended up losing 6-3.
Thank you to all those who have played in the Mixed team this season, and enjoy the break until next year.
When TP Riley-Norton 3 came to play our Mens 2 on 26 March it always looked like it could be a tight game, with some experienced heads on both sides. And so it proved, with some close games leaving the result hanging in the balance with all to play for in the last two games.
These eventually got started, side-by-side, only a little before our normal 9.30 finish time. Fortunately the late hour didn’t affect the concentration of our two pairs and they held their nerve to put a final gloss on the evening for a 6-3 result.
There’s just one fixture left for the Mens 2 this season – TP Riley-Norton 3 away…
The Mens 1 travelled to Alumwell on 22 March to play promotion rivals BJF. A good test is always to be expected, especially as they still play with plastic shuttles. Unfortunately we didn’t seem to adapt too well in a somewhat lacklustre display, leading to a 7-2 loss.
That leaves us needing to win our two remaining fixtures (both against Cannock) to finish ahead of BJF for promotion to Division 1. However the standard will have to improve to give us a chance, and if we do go up next season the games will only get harder.
19 March saw the Ladies take on Hamstead Manor 2 at home. As so often this season, some close games followed before the night was over, and once again the 6-0 loss didn’t really reflect all the hard work our Ladies put in.
Just over a week later, they travelled to Cannock with a welcome return being made by Stef. The extra bit of strength showed, with the first four games being shared. However once the pairs split up, we weren’t able to snatch either of the remaining two games to earn the draw, so a 4-2 loss was the final result.
Last night the second of our Beasley trams travelled to Cheslyn Hay to take on Pinfold. Having already beaten our other team back in November with the aid of a large handicap, we always knew the pressure would be on us to win all of the games whilst conceding very few points.
Sadly almost from the beginning we were giving away too many easy points, and before long it was clear the tie was effectively over in all likelihood. When the handicap was revealed at the end, it showed 168 to Pinfold – the equivalent of us winning each of the twelve games no worse than 21-7…
So having entered two teams for the first time this season, both fell to the same opponents – our best wishes to Pinfold for the semi-finals.
Tonight we had a Mixed match against Three Spires, our last Mixed home match of the season. After a bit of a slow start in the first couple of rubbers, the next two were much closer and each required a third game. More close games followed too, but sadly all the hard work went unrewarded with the match ending as a 9-0 loss.
March began with the Ladies welcoming TP Riley-Norton on Monday night. The first two rubbers were close – one needing a third game, and both games 21-19 in the other – but sadly both were losses. How different the night might have been if a handful of points had gone the other way! And despite their best efforts in the remaining games, their luck didn’t improve a great deal and so the match ended as a 5-1 loss.
With February drawing to a close, there have been three matches in fairly quick succession. Tuesday 21st saw our Mens 1 away at TP Riley-Norton 2. With Matt out injured, Richard stepped in to fill the gap. As usual with matches against TPRN, there were plenty of close games – the usual two-hour match time eventually extending closer to two and three-quarters! However it ended up as a 7-2 win so the long night was well worth it.
Friday 24th brought TPRN to us for a Mixed match. With four of the first eight games needing a decider, the match over-ran and we had to concede the last match due to a lack of time. Unfortunately however there was nothing riding on it, with the result having already been decided, and so it ended as a 7-2 loss.
Then on Monday 27th the Mixed were in action again against Reedswood 2, our closest rivals in the division, but with three changes meaning each pair was different. Once again tight games were the order of the day and another four games went to a decider. Thankfully time was not an issue though and our increasing strength in depth shone through, with the final result a great 7-2 win which probably ensures our place in Division 1!
The Ladies took on Walsall Wood on Monday night – always a tough proposition. And although they continue to improve as a team, the opposition once again proved too strong. Despite some close games, as in so many of their matches, that little bit of luck that might have seen them take one or two games to three avoided them and they were left with a 6-0 loss. One of these days…
Sadly our Mens 2 side were unable to get a full team out for the tricky Saturday evening fixture against Three Spires up in Lichfield, and so only two pairs travelled. Effectively starting three games down isn’t a great start, but they persevered and ended up sharing the other six games – something of a moral victory if not an actual result.
Novus Badminton Club 