Skillcentre Open ‘A’ Fall Short in Tough Home Clash with Felixstowe Open ‘A’

It was a challenging night on September 21 for Skillcentre Open ‘A’ as we hosted Felixstowe Open ‘A’ in Division 3 action, ultimately falling 3½ to 5½ in a hard-fought home fixture.

Our top performers of the evening were the pairings of Jason Lewis and Richard Calver, alongside Andrew Farn and Mike Flory, who both secured 1.5 points for the home side. Both pairs successfully dismantled Felixstowe’s second string of Daniel Read and Christian Hewson with commanding straight-game victories (21-16, 21-14 and 21-11, 21-18 respectively). They also both ground out crucial split-game results against the away side’s first string, Andrew and Jude Cleveland.

A notable highlight was Lewis and Calver’s gritty resilience in their opening match; after narrowly dropping a tense first game 20-22 to the Clevelands, they rallied fiercely to dominate the second game 21-13. However, the difference-makers on the night were Felixstowe’s formidable third string, John Broadmeadow and Gana Ramaswamy. They proved to be an immovable object, sweeping all three of their matchups to take a maximum 3 points back to Felixstowe.

Bob and Tom McLaren fought hard in the third spot for Skillcentre, showcasing excellent determination to snatch a half-point by taking a thrilling first game 23-21 against Read and Hewson before the visitors took the second. Despite the effort across the board, Felixstowe’s strength at the bottom of the order sealed the victory for the away side.

Round 1

• Lewis & Calver vs. Cleveland & Cleveland | 20-22, 21-13 | Points: ½ – ½
• Farn & Flory vs. Read & Hewson | 21-11, 21-18 | Points: 1 – 0
• McLaren & McLaren vs. Broadmeadow & Ramaswamy | 6-21, 14-21 | Points: 0 – 1 Score: Skillcentre 1½ – 1½ Felixstowe

Round 2

• Farn & Flory vs. Cleveland & Cleveland | 21-13, 13-21 | Points: ½ – ½
• McLaren & McLaren vs. Read & Hewson | 23-21, 17-21 | Points: ½ – ½
• Lewis & Calver vs. Broadmeadow & Ramaswamy | 19-21, 10-21 | Points: 0 – 1 Score: Skillcentre 2½ – 3½ Felixstowe

Round 3

• McLaren & McLaren vs. Cleveland & Cleveland | 17-21, 11-21 | Points: 0 – 1
• Lewis & Calver vs. Read & Hewson | 21-16, 21-14 | Points: 1 – 0
• Farn & Flory vs. Broadmeadow & Ramaswamy | 19-21, 13-21 | Points: 0 – 1 Score: Skillcentre 3½ – 5½ Felixstowe