2 Apr 2007 - MEN'S CROWNED DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONS!

It was a mixture of emotions for the 4 Solihull & Shirley Badminton Club teams in action this week in the Birmingham League.
The Men's 1st team were able to celebrate being crowned the Division One Champions for the first ever time in the club's 30 year history. They overcame fellow contenders, Broadway for the title, beating them 6-3 in an epic contest. Team captain Joe Hulse & Rob Forrester as well as John Hudson & Tom Whitehouse were in brilliant form to remain unbeaten at the end of the match.
The Men's 2nd team also had cause to celebrate after gaining the play-off position for promotion from the 3rd division. They made a great comeback after being 4-2 behind against Bidgley 2nd to take the match 5-4. Pairings of Andy Pattie & Nigel Field, Matt Dejesus & Paul Harris as well as Seb Drury & Martin Pratt all won their final rubbers to pull off an amazing victory.
The Ladies' 2nd team weren't so lucky after it was confirmed that they would be relegated from the 2nd division. They battled hard against Poplar but were unlucky to come away with a 5-1 loss.
The Mixed 2nd team may have started the week with a 6-3 loss to Division Two Champion's Birmingham University but finished with a 6-3 win against Four Oaks 2. This puts them in a play-off position for chance of a promotion to the 1st division. Team Captain Katie Johnson & Andrew Kitching won all of their rubbers and Nigel Field & Jude Warrington picked 2 out of 3 to make it a great end to the season.

Photo : Men's 1st team Captain Joe Hulse in action