County Badminton Report

The county first team, returning to the first division of the Victor Sports Inter County Championships after just one year in Division 2, got their season off to a flying start with a 13-2 home victory over the Warwickshire second string.

Norfolk were four games up after the singles with Julie Pike, Katherine Cooper and Ian Murphy producing confident wins in two ends, whilst Michael Philpott gave a superb debut performance for the first team by taking his singles in three sets.

Next came the ladies doubles with Cooper and Toni Sturgeon and Pike and Helen Newstead continuing their invincible form from last season. Cooper and Sturgeon comfortably won both their games, whilst Pike and Newstead had to battle a little harder to take their two.

Warwickshire produced tougher opposition in the mens doubles but Murphy and Justin Gerrard played very well to win both their games. Playing up from the second team, Jon Atmore and Paul Daynes made their first team debut. They just lost out in three sets to the Warwicks second pair, before falling to the opposition's more experienced first line-up.

It was business as usual in the mixed doubles, with the team continuing their excellent form from last season. Murphy teamed up with Cooper, Gerrard partnered Pike and a new pairing of Philpott and Sturgeon all produced solid wins, to start the season with the full three points.