Win and a loss for Eastland Masters

Shuttlecock Near Badminton Racket Isolated On White Background

Eastland Masters had a win and a loss in their first day’s play as a newly promoted team in the interprovincial masters’ Division 3 badminton competition. They beat last year’s third-placed Division 3 team, Waikato (3), and lost to 2015 runners-up Wellington (2) when they played two ties in one day in Wellington.

Against Waikato (3), Makuini Winiata and debutant Hayley Kent had a shaky start, losing their first set by a sizeable margin. It was closer in the second set but they still lost the game in two sets.

Justin Kent and Gary Teague won their first set, but Waikato won the second. Then Kent and Teague overpowered Waikato to win the third. Debbie Brown and Winiata were the next women’s pair to play, and they won their game in two sets.

For the men, Teague combined with Mark Beard and they also won their game in two sets.

Gabrielle Perano and Alicia Richardson-Marr won their game comfortably in two sets. Justin Kent teamed up with David Colbert to play an intense, fast-paced three-set game won by Waikato. Colbert, determined to make up for his loss, teamed up with Beard to win their game in two close sets.

Brown and Perano teamed up for the last women’s doubles. After an easy first set, they had to dig deep and fight for the next, which they eventually won 28-26.

In the mixed doubles, Colbert and Hayley Kent teamed up for a close three-set game, giving Kent her first win at interprovincial level.

Teague and Richardson-Marr, and Justin Kent and Perano lost their games in two sets. Beard and Brown won their game in two sets. At the end, Eastland had won their first tie in Division 3 by eight matches to four.

Against Wellington (2), who lost last year’s Division 3 final by one set, Eastland’s Hayley Kent and Winiata had a fantastic, close game, but lost in two sets, 24-26 and 20-22. Winiata then teamed up with Brown and had yet another close game before losing in three sets.

Perano and Richardson-Marr lost their game in two sets, as did Perano and Brown. It was a different story in the men’s doubles, where three of the four pairings had a win.

The mixed doubles combination of Colbert and Hayley Kent lost a long, close game in three sets. Teague and Richardson-Marr lost their game in two sets. Justin Kent and Perano put up a good fight but didn’t manage a win.

Beard and Brown lost their first set, but Beard — determined to go undefeated for the day — pulled out the moves for them to win the next two sets and take the match.

Eastland lost the tie eight matches to four.

Team manager Debbie Brown said that if Eastland had played Wellington (2) later in the season, it could have been a different story. The team travel to Hamilton for the second round on Saturday. There they will play Auckland (4) and Bay of Plenty (2).

Team members are Mark Beard, David Colbert, Justin Kent, Ross Hannam (coach), Gary Teague (Manawatu), Debbie Brown (manager), Hayley Kent, Gabrielle Perano, Alicia Richardson-Marr and Makuini Winiata.