Well what a weekend for the Mid Glamorgan badminton faithful. There were tears of happiness and laughter (thankyou Sue), high team spirit (thankyou Sim), moments where people got lost in translation (Andy), and most of all, victory for the team! Mid Glam badminton team travelled to both Guernsey and Jersey to play their division 2 matches in as many days, knowing that if they could secure a win against Guernsey on the Saturday, they would clinch the title. They did just that with a very entertaining 11-4 victory, securing a bonus point and thus securing the championship.

On Saturday 26th March, Mid Glamorgan took on Guernsey and it was a much improved Guernsey team that turned up for this one. With the return of Paul Le Tocq (Former Welsh National Champion), it added more spice to the encounter. He took on Martyn Lewis in the Mens singles as they both wowed the crowd with their skill and effort. Martyn ended up coming out on top 21-17, 21-17. Gareth Day played the other match against Danny Penney, in a gruelling encounter winning 21-11, 18-21, 21-16. The ladies singles didn’t offer any less entertainment as Vikki Jones showed off her talent, with a convincing win over Gayle Lloyd, 21- 6, 21-12. She really pulled herself and the badminton out of the bag!! Rachel Thomas deserved the biggest praise of the day as she stepped up to the plate to play the second singles, and after overcoming early nerves, she held hers with a superb comeback, winning, 18-21, 21-14, 21-12.

Taking a 4-0 lead into the doubles filled the team with confidence! The brothers grim in the form of Martyn and Michael Lewis proved too fast and too powerful for the Guernsey pairings. They won both their matches, 21-18, 21-9 and 21-11, 21-17, showing that siblings can actually get on!! Liam Ingram and Gareth Day won their first match, whipping their opponents, 21-9, 21-10, but it was their second match that got everyone on tenterhooks, as it proved to be a 3 set thriller!! It went right down to the wire too, involving some incredible rallies and stone wall defences, but they lost out in the end 21-17, 17-21, 21-18.

The ladies doubles proved to be Guernsey’s forte, as they took 3 out of the 4 matches. Vikki Jones and Nicole Walkley paired up, as did Michelle Smith and Lauren Lewis. Mid Glam’s first pairing won the first match 21-17, 18-21, 22-20 to secure the victory, but couldn’t recapture their form losing the second, in a 3 set spell bounder, 19-21, 22-20, 21-16. Lauren and Michelle were less fortunate as they couldn’t get themselves going, losing both their matches.

The mixed proved to be the real ‘crème fresh’, as Guernsey were literally fighting for their Division 2 status, so all was to play for. Michael and Rachel had too much intensity for a very pleasant Andy Orme and incredibly athletic Bridget Podger, winning 22-20, 21-10. Liam and Nicole had a tougher time, but they eventually won, 21-9, 19-21, 21-15 and Martyn and Lauren kept their 100% success finishing off the rout, keeping their cool as they survived 2 match points, winning 12-21, 21-17, 23-21. The mixed clinched the bonus point and the league title for Mid Glamorgan badminton team who thoroughly deserve their success!!

The following day saw friends reunited as well as friendships created, as Mid Glamorgan travelled to Jersey, to try to do the double in the Channel Islands challenge. But this was no time to stir up past emotions and Martyn again lead the way, as he tried to settle an old score against former England international, Mark Constable, after a previous wrestling incident!! The Jersey locals clotted up and found this match very enterprising, as the 2 Commonwealth Games athletes showed the level of badminton that can be achieved! Mark’s net play however, proved too good for the Welsh star as he claimed the victory by 21-13, 21-16. Gareth Day took on Jersey’s Danish resident, who’s trying to improve his English, and he certainly showed he knows the language of badminton, as he took the game, 21-9, 21-9. Vikki Jones again took her singles as she showed another of Jersey’s Commonwealth contingent how to play, winning 21-17, 21-14 and rarely made the transition from 3rd to 4th gear. Michelle Smith rolled back the years, and showed how to play with incredible grit and determination and how to use a stop-drop, eventually trumping her opponent in a show stopping 3 setter winning 21-13, 17-21, 21-19.

The doubles provided some extraordinary entertainment, as each pair were vying to attain games for their team. In the men’s discipline, the brothers teamed up again and Liam this time had a new partner, in the form of the inspirational Mid Glamorgan coach, Simon “The Tiger” Rowe. Both pairs were subjected to strong opposition, as well as some high octane fuelled badminton. The shuttle was flying at great speed in both directions, as no one wanted to give away the upper hand. Martyn and Michael however, maintained their sparkling form with 2 victories, beating Ulrich and Chris Cotillard 21-13, 21-17, and Mark and Jon Southern 21-13, 21-17. Liam and Simon put in two strong performances, but just didn’t have enough to claim victory in both their doubles matches, losing out 21-15, 21-12 and 21-12, 21-17 respectively. The ladies doubles also provided the same level of entertainment, with the pick of the games being Vikki and Nicole against Lucy Burns and Kim Ashton. After a long battle the Mid Glam girls came out on top 21-15, 21-17.

With the scoreline at 7-5, it was all still to play for and the Jersey team did not want to let Mid Glam have the double over them. All 3 mixed games were of high quality and kept the crowd in suspense. Michael and Rachel took their game comfortably in the end after a close first, winning 22-20, 21-17. Martyn and Lauren took part in the battle of the married couples, but couldn’t quite maintain their 100% winning streak, losing out in the end 21-14, 21-16. It was the final match everybody had their eyes on as Liam and Nicole took on Ulrich and Cara Dunford, and it was a real nail biter as it went to the final few points. Luckily Liam’s serve that he enquired whether people liked proved to be the turning point and with Nicole dominating the net like she was, there was no way the Mid Glam pairing were going to let this one curdle away. Final result, 21-12, 20-22, 21-17.

It has been a long hard fought season this year and Mid Glamorgan have to thank not only the strength in depth of their squad, but the fabulous team spirit each player displays, every time there is a match or training session. Mid Glamorgan badminton has really grown in the last few years, showing that badminton is still very much a strong competitor in this county. The level of quality and spirit shown by each team member proves, that this is not only a team of stars, but it is a star team, that I am very proud to be a part of. Coach Simon Rowe summed up the performances stating, “we are all Tigers, and we worked together to win. We deserved it”. We are all looking forward to competing in Division 1 next season and hope to gain promotion to Premier B. All that remains to be said, is a huge thankyou to Guernsey and Jersey badminton for their hospitality and good luck for next season. Keep it up Mid Glamorgan badminton!!

Match report brought to you by Michael Lewis