Mixed Fortunes for Veterans

It was a day of mixed fortunes for the two county veterans teams in their opening matches of the season at home to Lincolnshire. The Over 40s had an excellent start to their campaign winning 11-1, while the Over 50s narrowly lost 5-7.

For the Over 40s, Ann Jenkins and Suzanne Benton and Jane Sheldrake and Lizzie Cubitt won all four of their level doubles, as did Eric Plane and Eddie Simmons and Geoff Roff and Tony Cox. Plane and Jenkins, Roff and Sheldrake and Cox and Cubitt then won their mixed doubles, with Simmons and Benton just missing out on achieving the "whitewash", by losing in three sets.

The Over 50s shared their mens and mixed doubles games, with the ladies winning

one of their four games. Team members were Bob Henderson, Bob Collinson, Peter Newman, Ray Warren, Linda Foster, Jeannine Whiffen, Sue Banks and Ann Hutchin.

* Badminton players at Fakenham Sports Centre, West Norfolk Juniors, Blofield Juniors and Lynnsport Ladies took part in a National Hitting Challenge to raise money for the NSPCC and Quidenham Childrens Hospice, near Norwich. They were trying to match England stars, Gail Emms and Donna Kelloggs tally of 153 hits in a minute.

Shoppers in Norwich Castle Mall also took part in a target badminton game, raising over £30.. A total of £97 was raised for the two charities from the various activities arranged.

* Eaton Eagles Badminton Club is setting up a new junior club, starting on Thursday, November 16th. It will be held at the City of Norwich School on Eaton Road from 6.00 - 7.00pm and is aimed at beginners and those with limited experience, between the ages of 8 and 16 years. Coaching will be provided by a BADMINTON England qualified coach. For more details or to book a place, contact Peter Mahoney on 01508 495387 or John King on 01603 451520.