Skillcentre Derby: C Team Secures Division 7 Victory!
In a hotly contested all-club derby on September 17, Skillcentre C claimed bragging rights over Skillcentre D with a hard-fought 5½ to 3½ victory.
The bedrock of the home side’s win was the formidable pairing of Graham Chappell and Martin Benstead, who racked up 2.5 points. They were ruthless against the D team’s first and third strings, cruising to commanding straight-game victories (21-13, 21-10 and 21-11, 21-10). Their only dropped game of the night came in a fierce split battle with the D team’s MVPs, Ishan Weerakkody and Rrasan Fernando.
Weerakkody and Fernando kept the away side firmly in the fight. Also claiming 2.5 points for the D team, they put in a clinical shift to sweep both the home first string (21-17, 21-19) and third string (21-18, 21-16) in tightly contested games.
One of the most dramatic highlights of the night came during the clash between John Calver and Myles Miller (Home 3) and Adrian Farn and James Rose (Away 1). After Farn and Rose took a comfortable first game 21-13, Calver and Miller flipped the script entirely, storming back to take the second game with a blistering 21-7 finish to secure a crucial half-point for the C team.
Round 1
- Notton & Wickens vs. Farn & Rose | 21-19, 16-21 | Points: ½ – ½
- Chappell & Benstead vs. Weerakkody & Fernando | 21-10, 16-21 | Points: ½ – ½
- Calver & Miller vs. Kairys & Maxwell | 21-12, 21-12 | Points: 1 – 0
Score: Skillcentre C 2 – 1 Skillcentre D
Round 2
- Chappell & Benstead vs. Farn & Rose | 21-13, 21-10 | Points: 1 – 0
- Calver & Miller vs. Weerakkody & Fernando | 18-21, 16-21 | Points: 0 – 1
- Notton & Wickens vs. Kairys & Maxwell | 21-12, 21-18 | Points: 1 –
Score: Skillcentre C 4 – 2 Skillcentre D
Round 3
- Calver & Miller vs. Farn & Rose | 13-21, 21-7 | Points: ½ – ½
- Notton & Wickens vs. Weerakkody & Fernando | 17-21, 19-21 | Points: 0 – 1
- Chappell & Benstead vs. Kairys & Maxwell | 21-11, 21-10 | Points: 1 – 0
Score: Skillcentre C 5½ – 3½ Skillcentre D