Badminton: Bay's vets create history

June Crawford and Vaughan Coley, mixed doubles partners in the Hawke's Bay Veterans No 1 team.

Unbeaten run key to nailing top division

Happy Birthday Vaughan ... from the team.

Hawke's Bay badminton stalwart Vaughan Coley received an appropriate 53rd birthday present from the IMS Payroll-Toll-sponsored Hawke's Bay Veterans No1 team this month. They won the national division two title with eight victories from as many fixtures to become the first team from the Bay to gain promotion to the national division one competition.

"With another two Bay teams also in Auckland at the same time we had a celebration to remember," Coley recalled.

The Bay's No1 man, Coley lost just two of his 24 matches in the competition which caters for players over 50 and involves doubles and mixed doubles. Coley and his mixed doubles' partner, Meeanee clubmate June Crawford, were unbeaten.

"The overall depth in the squad was the key to our success. While I was our No1 man there was very little between our No2 David [Reardon] and our No3 Steve [Underhill] wasn't far behind," Coley said.

"There was plenty of depth among the women too.

"Our No3 Lorraine [Warrington] only lost three matches all season," Coley said.

During their eight fixtures, Hawke's Bay lost nine of their 72 games. All six Bay players were unbeaten in mixed doubles matches.

Coley, who started playing as a 5-year-old in Woodville, pointed out all of the team were available for next year's division one campaign. Their depth will be boosted with another Bay stalwart, Kyle Tostevin, qualifying for the age group.

"Next year our aim will be to solidify our berth in division one. We would be happy with a sixth to eighth placing because a ninth would see us relegated back to division two," Coley said.

A former Manawatu, Bay of Plenty and Waikato representative, Coley has been a Hawke's Bay representative at various levels for the past 20 years and has also helped run his Meeanee club during this time. While he was a member of the Hawke's Bay senior side which won the national division three title 15 years ago, Coley ranks this season's campaign with the veterans as the highlight of his teams play in the province.

"We could have lost the last tie and still won the division two title. But it's better if you go through unbeaten."

As an individual, Coley has won three national senior titles. He won the over-40 singles title in 2004, the over-45 mixed doubles with Wellingtonian Lia Mapia in 2009 and the over-50 doubles title with Waitakere's Grant Bominech three years ago.

Coley is full of praise for the coaching he received from Badminton Hawke's Bay and Meeanee club life member Phil Young during his early days at Meeanee.

"Phil was very analytical."

Coley was quick to heap kudos on Crawford who also played for the top Hawke's Bay Masters over-35s team as well as the veterans throughout the winter. Crawford has played in the Bay for the past 15 years after moving from Whanganui.

Coley expects his veterans team will be cautious with their food intake during the festive season and will begin training in February in their quest to be as competitive as possible when their national division one competition begins in April.

The Bay team was:

Men: Vaughan Coley (Meeanee), David Reardon (Dannevirke), Steve Underhill (Napier); Women: June Crawford (Meeanee), Gillene Underhill (Meeanee), Lorraine Warrington (Dannevirke).