North off to a winning start
BADMINTON
THE first Saturday of the Senior County Championships saw Northumberland’s first team up against Lothian and Durham at the Tyneside Badminton Centre - and two 7-4 wins ensured they made an excellent start to the season.
With Philip Pahatouridis, Richard Eaton and Lucy Dixon all missing due to work commitments and Eleanor Laws also unavailable, North welcomed back Tom Appleyard - now in his final year at university.
Garrylee McMullen started well for North, coming from a set down against former Scottish No. 3 Gordon Hoggan to triumph 21-17 in the third.
Ashraf Alam was to go down by the same score at second string, not without a fight, but Appleyard prevailed in three to give North the lead at 2-1.
A comfortable win for Shu En Lee ensured the lead remained after the singles at 3-2.
Appleyard and Alam were unfortunate to just miss out at top string in the doubles, 23-21 in the third, but McMullen and Ryan Jelley recovered well from a set down to cancel that out and maintain the lead at 4-3.
Lee and Vivian Tan then took a close game at top string 21-17 in the third to put North on the brink of victory ay 5-3.
Catherine Thomas and Beth Martin- Brand then held on well to take their ladies’ doubles - if only just 21-19, 24-22 - to secure the match victory at 6-3.
The mixed were shared with a notable win at top string from Jelley and Mandie Reay, who claimed a nail-biter 21-19, 18-21, 21-19 for a final score of 7-4.
The afternoon fixture against Durham started really well, McMullen defeating Perry Ng in two sets, if only 22-20 in the second - a result replicated by Appleyard over Alex Robinson.
Alam lost his opening set to Murray Wright before establishing control to take the second comfortably and lead at the change of ends in the third.
A comeback from Wright put the pressure on but he held on to take the decider 21-19.
Another straight-set success for Lee saw North lead 4-1 going into the doubles.
A two-set victory for Durham for Ng and Clemens Chay over Appleyard and Alam was balanced by a win for McMullen and Jelly and North were again on the brink of match victory at 5-2.
Lee and Tan duly delivered the same and Thomas and MartinBrand could consider themselves unlucky to be just edged out 23-21 in the third.
The mixed were again shared, Appleyard and Martin-Brand coming through at second string to clinch another 7-4 win to North.
Those results leave North placed only fourth with Cheshire Two top on 16 and Lancashire Two and Lanarkshire on 15 ahead of them.
North’s seconds were also at home in North Division Four on the other side of the hall.
They were up against Durham Two and Cumbria Two and both matches proved pretty competitive throughout.
North lost 7-4 to Durham but defeated Cumbria 6-5.
THE Sunderland AFC Foundation of Light is hosting a two-day football course at the Beacon of Light for five to 14-year -olds on January 2 and 3.
Sessions are from 10.00-3.00 each day and will be taken by the Foundation’s specialist coaches.
The cost is £15 for the two days and to enrol go to the Foundation of Light website.
■■NORTHUMBERLAND and Durham will be among 26 counties to be involved in England Golf’s Girls Golf Rocks campaign in 2019.
Both will hold taster sessions starting in May, followed by coaching courses with PGA professionals, as part of an initiative to encourage more girls to take up the sport.
■■WANSBECK defeated Seatonians 59-15 and Wasbeck D were 37-26 winners at Morpeth B in Division Two of the Northumberland Winter Netball League’s Ladies League.
In Division Three, Concordia B triumphed 43-11 at Astley C and Ponteland beat Blyth Valley Vixens 49-4.
■■NEWCASTLE Vikings Handball Club’s men’s team defeated a York City Hunters team featuring a few guest University of York players 24-14 in a friendly clash.
Winger Matthew Lamb and centre Julien Eng top-scored with seven goals apiece, backed up by five from Nathan Eline, three from Cedric Le Lay and one each for Bart Piorkowski and Adam Mobberley.
■■MORPETH Rugby Club’s under-15 and under-18 girls’ squads host Tynedale Under-15s and Under-18s in Northumberland County Cup finals on Sunday (1.45).
■■THREE Tyne Amateur Rowing Club athletes - Dom Jackson, Isaac Hillicks-Tulip and Lucie Harrington - medalled at the British Rowing Indoor Championship at the Olympic Velo Park. A special report in Grassroots Sport soon.