Double up for Dunoon

THE ANNUAL badminton team championship, the Argyll Cup, in its 68th year, was recently competed for in Lochgilphead.

Teams from Oban, Dunoon and a combined Mid-Argyll/ Campbeltown come together to compete for the two trophies, the A Team and the C Team (folklore suggests there might never have been a B team cup).

Grueling

Five pairs of mixed doubles from each association compete in a grueling round robin format which sees each couple compete in a minimum of 20 sets of badminton with the energy-sapping thought of a possible 30 games. All told there were a possible 150 matches to be played in just eight hours on five courts. Quite a day’s badminton.

Things were fairly tight in both competitions until about 2pm when, on the strength of just three or four games, the pendulum swung in Dunoon’s favour with both trophies finally being secured with a handful of games left to play. At this stage it became (as the Tartan Army famously say) ‘mathematically impossible’ for them to be caught.

At the after-tournament dinner, generously hosted by Lochgilphead Bowling Club in its pavilion, the awards were handed to the triumphant team captains.

Cowal Badminton Association stalwart Gordon McKinven delivered some carefully chosen and very kind words, complimenting all competitors on the standard of play and all involved for keeping the tournament going in the spirit it was intended.

A new trophy was awarded for the first time this year with Campbeltown’s Stephanie Mitchell receiving the Charlie Ellis Prize for Sporting Excellence with the winner chosen by Charlie himself.

Pledges

The proceeds from the tournament together with pledges received on the day and from Lochgilphead Bowling Club in the evening, saw a donation of £650 made to the Nancy Glen fund via the Clyde Fishermen’s Trust Just Giving page. Mid-Argyll Badminton Association would like to thank all involved for their generosity and help on the day.

Final Scores: A Team - Dunoon 29, Oban 24, Mid-Argyll/Campbeltown 18. C-Team - Dunoon 35, Oban 28, Mid-Argyll/Campbeltown