Holders Bexhill F retained the Hastings League Minor Trophy with a 5-1 win over Division 2 rivals Hastings Academy B in the final of the competition.
Contests between the two teams are normally close encounters and the opening doubles stuck to the script with Pam Winter and Brian Busbridge (Bexhill) scraping past Andy Furnival and Terry Dean (Academy) 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9. After a good start by the Bexhill pair, Furnival took control of the third and fourth games with some controlled hitting off the Bexhill serves. The fifth game was more closely contested but the Bexhill pair held their nerve at the finish.
Things looked better for Academy as Graham Deeprose took the first game against Tina Beaney 11-1, but the Bexhill No. 1 came back to take the next three 11-5, 12-10, 15-13.
Furnival then provided the Academics with a much-needed lift with a victory over Winter 11-3, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8. The Bexhill player got into the contest in the last two games but was unable to repeat her excellent win in the league.
From this point, Bexhill took control, not losing another game, with Busbridge first beating Deeprose 11-7, 11-5, 12-10 before Beaney beat Dean 11-9, 11-2,13-11 despite Dean coming back well in the third.
Bexhill’s top doubles pairing of Beaney and Winter gave Bexhill a winning 5-1 margin with a win over Deeprose and Dean 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 which also ensured a cup double for the club.
Brian Busbridge
