30 April, 2019 Daniel Clark
Queens retained the Division 1 Mixed title and completed an unbeaten season after beating Ringswell A in their title-deciding final fixture.
Ringswell had to win 8-1 to have any chance of snatching the crown from Queens, but the Crediton side made it eight wins from eight with a 6-3 victory. Tony Clark/Claire Harrison went unbeaten for Ringswell, but Lloyd Skinner/Mandy Bishop, Jamie Dawe/Hannah Preece and Ben Jordan/Leoni Bishop each won two rubbers.
Queens finished 16 points clear at the top after Ringswell A rounded off their season with a 7-2 win over fourth placed Exeter A, as Ian Walsh/Jess Hill went unbeaten.
Sidmouth A had long since won Division 2A, but the battle for the other places went right down to the wire. Exeter B had been propping up the table and looked favourite for relegation, but picked up form at just the right time and won their last three fixtures.
They started with a 5-4 win away to Chulmleigh, with Matt Whyman/Theresa Ford starring for Exeter by winning all three rubbers, including a tight 21-16, 17-21, 22-20 win over Ben Hamill/Lorna See that secured the win.
Exeter B then beat St Leonards B 9-0, a result that ensured their survival from relegation and doomed Chulmleigh to the drop, before beating Otter Vale A 5-4, as this time, Rob Flack/Hazel Wong went unbeaten. But the four points gained by Otter Vale were enough for them to finish second in the division, albeit 29 points behind Sidmouth A.
Ringswell C completed their unbeaten season in Division 2B with a 6-3 win over Sidmouth B. Andy Taylor/Sylvia Child and Tom Welland/Anne Jones both went unbeaten as Ringswell only managing to field two pairs didn’t stop them from winning eight from eight.
At the bottom of the division Honiton secured their first win of the season with a 5-4 win over Otter Vale C, but it wasn’t enough for them to avoid the wooden spoon. Andy O’Brien/Ann Price and Gordon Hutchings/Sue O’Brien each won two matches for Otter Vale, but the team of Graham Fagg/Mary White, Shane Bowering/Sue Fallows and Mark Russell/Jennie Edwards secured the win.