The County 2nd Team started their 2011-12 programme last Sunday with a home match against Mid Glamorgan.   After the disappointment of not being permitted by 'Badminton England' to play in the division 1 play-offs at the end of last season, the team were keen to get off to a winning start.    However, they found the Mid Glamorgan team 'a hard nut to crack' and finished up losing 11-4.

An excellent performance by Andrew Wainwright in the first of the men's singles events got Warwickshire off to a good start.   He beat Mark Lewis 21/17, 22/20.   Ryan Parsons, at no. 2, took George Day to 3 games but was unable to add to Andrew Wainwright's winning start.   The score in this rubber being 16/21, 21/19, 21/9, to Day.
 

Both of the ladies' singles events went the visitors' way.   Mary LeDruillenec was beaten 21/11, 21/15, by Sarah Thomas, and Claire Mort lost 6/21, 14/21, against Val. Jones.   This gave Mid Glamorgan a 3-1 lead going into the doubles events.

The men's doubles rubbers were shared.   Carl Goode & Anthony Homan lost 14/21, 17/21, against Mark Lewis & Martin Lewis, but they combined well to beat the Glamorgan second pairing of Geoff. Cox & George Day 21/17, 23/21.   Tom Burton & Andrew Wainwright also beat Cox & Day - 21/17, 21/16, - but they found the Lewis's just too strong and they went down 14/21, 19/21.

The ladies' doubles events swung the match decisively in favour of the visitors.   Jo. Homan & Mary LeDruillenec lost their opening rubber against Sarah Thomas & Carol Turner 11/21, 17/21, but they were successful against Kate Blake & Val. Jones, beating them 19/21, 27/25, 21/15.   The County's second pairing of Claire Mort & Helen Richmond lost out against Blake & Jones 15/21, 21/16, 12/21, and they were then also beaten by Thomas & Turner - 21/13, 21/8.

With the match score 8-4 to Mid Glamorgan, Warwickshire needed to take 2 of the 3 mixed doubles events to claim a losing match point.   However, the Welsh side continued to have the edge and took all three.   First, Carl Goode & Jo. Homan lost 14/21, 13/21, against Mark Lewis & Sarah Thomas, and then Andrew Wainwright & Helen Richmond lost 13/21, 21/17, 10/21, against Geoff. Cox & Carol Turner.   Finally, Tom Burton & Mary LeDruillenec were beaten 21/18, 12/21, 19/21, by Martin Lewis & Kate Blake.

This was another disappointing result for the County, but several of the Mid Glamorgan team apparently figure in the Welsh national team, and so the match was always going to be a tough one to win.