HAWKSHAW B eventually proved too strong for Section A rivals Oakgate in a tightly-contested encounter in the Bolton Badminton League this week.

The result was undecided until the final game in a match which marked the halfway point of the season.

With the teams holding each other to a draw earlier in the season, another close match was expected.

Second couple, Debbie Taylor and Clint Gibbs, set Hawkshaw off to a good start by producing wins of 21-16, 21-17 against Helen Woodburn and Simon Froude.

The team's first couple, Grace Krzempek and Olly Gregory, also won both of their games comfortably 21-10, 21-11 against sixth-placed Oakgate’s Sandra Warren and Iqbal Khan.

However, when the third couples met, Oakgate’s Laura Woodburn and Sameer Kadiri put their team on the scoresheet, claiming two games 21-17, 21-18 against Sarah Gradwell and Neil Haydock.

When the first couples met, seventh-placed Hawkshaw’s Krzempek and Gregory won both games 21-8, 21-19 against Woodburn and Froude.

The second couples’ games also went in Hawkshaw's favour when Taylor and Gibbs beat Warren and Khan 21-8 and 21-13.

Going into the level doubles, Hawkshaw looked to be well on target for a comfortable win at 8-2 ahead, but Woodburn and Woodburn had other ideas as they won both the first ladies’ games 21-19, 21-14 against Gradwell and Krzempek.

When the first pair of men’s games were played, Oakgate’s Kadiri and Froude won the first 21-19 and in a nail-biting second game they also claimed the second 23-21 against Haydock and Gregory.

The second pair of ladies’ games was shared with Gradwell and Taylor claiming the first 21-16 to put their team in the draw position, and Woodburn and Warren taking the second 21-12.

In the final pair of men’s games, Oakgate’s Kadiri and Khan, won the first 21-15, but in the final game of the match the determined Hawkshaw pair of Haydock and Gibbs hung on to claim the game 21-19 and a 10-8 overall win.