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Photos: Ellen Rawlins
Vanbrugh and Langwith both recorded wins in the third round of fixtures of this term’s college badminton programme.
Vanbrugh triumphed 7-3 over Halifax in a deceptively close contest while top-dogs Langwith had to dig deep to come from 4-3 down to edge past an improving James side 6-4.
Jonathan Tait and Fabiana Macor of Vanbrugh faced Ian White and Lucy Rodgers of Halifax and were victorious with a close 21-17 win. Tait was particularly impressive with his smashing and backhand drives which kept White constantly on the move along the baseline.
In the other simultaneous game, Halifax’s Mike Holmes and Ellie Saggers recorded a thumping 21-7 result over Vanbrugh’s Simon Pierce and Christina Boyle, with Saggers showing fantastic reaction speeds to consistently finish off points.
Next, Vanbrugh’s Joe Devonport and Blonnie Walsh overcame White and Rodgers by a comfortable 21-12 margin, but Halifax again levelled proceedings at 2-2 when Holmes and Saggers beat Pierce and Boyle 21-9.
The pattern continued to three games apiece as Vanbrugh’s Tait and Macor beat Saggers and Holmes with surprising ease, 21-8, and Halifax’s White and Rodgers bounced back from their previous defeat with a terrific 21-7 win over Pierce and Boyle.
But after this point, Vanbrugh stamped their authority on the match to take the lead at a crucial time in the match.
Devonport and Walsh scraped past Saggers and Holmes 21-19, although it must be said Holmes did everything he could in his attempts to save the game, scoring winners and somehow making returns millimetres from the floor.
The other game was equally close, ending in a 22-20 win for Tait and Macor over White and Rodgers to make it 5-3. Some of the rallies were captivating and the game was arguably the most high-quality of the lot.
Devonport and Walsh completed the match with a routine win over Saggers and Holmes to secure a bonus point and win 7-3.
After both teams left the court, it was time for the Langwith-James match to begin and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest.
Langwith’s Andrew Grantham, captain, and Huang Ting Ang faced James Buckley and Lauren Cain but the Langwith pairing won by four points, 21-17.
Meanwhile, Al Qasyaff Zainal and Sarah Howarth were up against captain David Loving and Bella Grant. Qasyaff Zainal was particularly vigorous in his shot-making, even striking his teammate in the face in attempting to return a point-blank effort.
However, Loving and Grant used their experience to triumph 21-18 for James and level the match at 1-1.
Next up, it was Cassandra Brown and Abed Sow of Langwith versus Chris Butterfield and Nia Powell of James. Sow was brilliant in his aggression, pulling off a series of testing drives from the back of the court, and helping Langwith to a 21-11 win.
An enthralling tie between Grantham and Ting Ang of Langwith and Loving and Grant of James resulted in a 21-19 win for the latter pairing, despite being 16-7 behind at one stage.
The James couple were happy to interchange positions and took turns putting away the smashes and drop shots, and it clearly worked to level the match at 2-2. They were certainly helped by the overwhelming vocal support from the James supporters on the touchline.
Langwith took the lead soon afterwards as Brown and Sow won easily 21-8 against Buckley and Cain.
The closest game of the match came on the adjacent court, however, as James’ Powell and Butterfield won 25-23 against Qasyaff Zainal and Howarth to make it 3-3.
Butterfield often found the lines of the court to give his opponents little chance with their returns, forcing Qasyaff Zainal to frequently dive to try and save points.
And the match took a highly interesting turn as underdogs James claimed a crucial victory after Loving and Bella beat Brown and Sow 21-19 to move within one game of winning the match.
But Langwith dug deep to win the next two games and continue their push for the title in dramatic fashion. First, Grantham and Ting Ang bounced back at the expense of Butterfield and Powell to win 21-12.
Then Qasyaff Zainal and Howarth dealt with the intense pressure of gathering spectators on the touchline to defeat Buckley and Cain comfortably enough, 21-14 to secure a bonus point win by 6 games to 4.
Vision MOTMs: Jonathan Tait and Al Qasyaff Zainal