HOLMFIRTH F gained revenge on Phoenix B to win their bottom-of-the-table clash in the Huddersfield Badminton League Fifth Division.

It was a hard-fought contest in which Holmfirth eventually emerged the 6-3 winners, although both sides have much work to do to scrape away from the lower reaches.

Clive Hunt and Gianluca Margaglione won a decisive first men’s for Holmfirth against Roy Coldwell and Martin McVeigh, as did Jan Mear and Angie Zielonka in the first ladies against Angela Horner and Julie Linsley.

However, the second men’s and ladies were very close, both requiring three sets to decide the outcome, but Holmfirth edged victory in both.

In the third men’s, the youth and skill of Holmfirth’s Margaglione and Connor Berry proved too much for Phoenix’s McVeigh and Ben Hinchliffe.

But in the third ladies, Phoenix fought back, with Julie Linsley and young Bethany Wedge gaining a close-fought victory against Zielonka and Janet Winn.

Phoenix continued their fightback with wins in the first and second mixed, but Winn and Berry wrapped up the Holmfirth victory in the third mixed.

In the same division, Holmfirth E also beat Phoenix B 7-2 and maintained their hopes of winning promotion.

The score does not reflect how tough the match was for the victors.

After the first two rubbers, the score was even with Holmfirth taking the men’s game and Phoenix the ladies.

Both second rubbers went Holmfirth’s way, Liz Noble and Angie Zielonka narrowly defeating Julie Linsley and Julie Scott.

Chris Bottomley and Derek Thompson were defeated in a three-game tussle won by Phoenix pair Malcolm Scott and Malcolm McVeigh.

The three mixed games were all won by Holmfirth, leaving first man Chris Chatterton undefeated.

Angie Zielonka, playing up for the evening, was also unbeaten.

Holmfirth E 7 Phoenix B 2

Men (Holmfirth names first): Chris Chatterton and Chris Bottomley beat Roy Coldwell and Malcolm Scott 21-18, 21-12; Chatterton and Derek Thompson beat Coldwell and Martin McVeigh 21-9, 16-21, 21-16; Bottomley and Derek Thompson lost to Scott and McVeigh 21-16, 14-21, 14-21.

Ladies: Liz Noble and Jan Mear lost to Angela Horner and Julie Linsley 16-21, 19-21; Noble and Angie Zielonka beat Horner and Julie Scott 21 -19, 21-18; Mear and Zielonka beat Linsley and Scott 18-21, 23-21, 21-13.

Mixed: Chatterton and Noble beat Linsley and Coldwell 21-5, 21-12; Bottomley and Zielonka beat Scott and Scott 15-21, 21-18, 21 -15; Thompson and Mear beat McVeigh and Horner 21-16, 21-11.

In Division II, Spen Valley A defeated Valley St James C 5-4 to retain second place in the table.

Men (Spen names first): Phil Denton and Roy Hampshire lost to David Walker and Oliver Platt 12-21, 21-19, 15-21; Denton and James Booth lost to David Walker and Chris Hugh 24-26, 14-21; Hampshire and Booth beat Platt and Hugh 17-21, 21-15, 21-17.

Ladies: Liza Findlow and Sonya Strafford beat Helen Fay and Jayne Walker 17-21, 21-11, 21-18; Findlow and Gemma Swaine beat Fay and Wendy Bok 21-17, 21-7; Strafford and Swaine beat Walker and Bok 23-21, 21-17.

Mixed: Denton and Findlow lost to Platt and Walker 15-21, 21-23; Hampshire and Strafford beat Hugh and Fay 21-17, 21-19; Booth and Swaine lost to Walker and Bok 21-18, 12-21, 16-21.