BADMINTON
THE Island’s over-45s badminton team enjoyed their best ever performance at the Masters County Challenge tournament in Andover.
The compete against county teams from Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex, Suffolk, Dorset, Bucks and Cornwall, with each match comprising a men’s and ladies’ doubles, and two mixed doubles games.
Excellent performances from all the players throughout the weekend ensured that the team achieved third out of seven, winning two matches and drawing four.
The IW were also the only team to achieve a draw against the winners, Bucks, who fielded a very strong team.
Victories in the men’s doubles from Mark Burbidge and Rudi Hendon-John, and Harvey Goddard and Karen Murrant in the mixed doubles, proved decisive.
The ladies won five out of six of their games only narrowly losing to the Bucks pair.
The full squad was Mark Burbidge, Rudi Hendon-John Richard Jones, Harvey Goddard and John Burke Denise Insley, Gill Bushell, Karen Murrant and Jenny Utteridge.
The team’s next match is home to Devon tomorrow (Saturday) at West Wight Sports Centre from noon.