A hat-trick of wins for Rex just lov-Lee
NORTHUMBERLAND’S third team claimed 6-5 wins over Lanarkshire Seconds and Cumbria Seconds on the third weekend of the Senior County Championship Division Four North season.
Against Lanarkshire, they were indebted to Rex Lee for his three wins, 21-18 in the third at first singles, with Andy Renton 24-22, 18-21, 21-19 at top doubles and with Jess Wright at top mixed.
With Wright and Anna Railton again winning their doubles, that gave North fout of the required six points for victory.
The other two were to come from unlikely sources - two late replacements in veteran Emily Ogden and Anouchka Wyss.
Ogden took her singles 21-16 21-19 and the pair then combined to claim their doubles 21-17 in the third.
North forged ahead early against the Cumbrians with Lee, Yap Yi Xuan, Wyss and Ogden all winning in straight sets to lead 4-1 after the singles.
That soon became 5-1 when Yap and Jono Shaw of Newcastle University clinched the second string men’s doubles in two sets.
Rex (pictured right) and Andy Renton had started slowly at top string losing their opening set to 13.
Back they came, though, to level, taking the second set to 12.
The decider was nip and tuck throughout but they held on to capture it 24-22 on their third match point and take North over the line at 6-1.
With a point for every match there was still much to play for but, despite three-set efforts in both ladies’ doubles, North could not get over the line - although Wyss and Ogden only just failed 27-25 in the third.
It was a similar story in the mixed with both matches lost in three sets - maybe one game too far for Lee at top string with Wright but a creditable performance from George Moran and Railton at second string to take a set.
The 6-5 result maintained North’s second place. ■■NORTH’s first team are in action at York Railway Institute on Saturday and Sunday.
The seconds are at Huddersfield University and the thirds play at Tyneside Badminton Centre, the latter not having a game on Saturday morning.