Tough time for Norfolk Competitors at Cambs Open

There were a good number of quality players at the Cambridgeshire Open, which made it feel more like a Challenger than a Satellite event. The mens singles was way oversubscribed, with only Ian Murphy and Jonathan Cooper being accepted from Norfolk.

Cooper had a tough first round draw against Thomas McVey and lost a marathon match 22-20 in the third end. Meanwhile, Murphy battled his way into the quarter-finals to meet and beat McVey 21-11,21-11. This set up a semi-final match against his old rival, Daniel Plant from Essex. This was their sixth meeting with the previous five all going in Plants favour. Although Murphy played well throughout the match, he once again lost, this time in three close sets 17-21, 21-17, 21-15. Plant then went on to win the final in two straight sets, his sixth successive Cambridgeshire singles title.

Several other Norfolk players entered the event but without too much success. The best performance came from Christian Nielsen and Michelle Lewin who came through two rounds of the mixed doubles before going out to the eventual finalists, ex-Norfolk player Charity Barnes and Adam Smith (Avon)

* Norfolks Under 15 A team were in Shires League action against a strong, visiting Hertfordshire side. All the team played with determination and skill throughout the match, with notable wins from Rebecca Heeles and Kurtis Lefevre in the mixed doubles and Holly Bowen, Bryony Lund, Adam Stubbing and Daniel Farrow in the singles. This resulted in a well deserved 10 all draw, although, at one stage, a surprise victory looked on the cards.

Craig Thomas and Emma Davies also played their part in a good overall team performance.