Badminton

CHRISTMAS cheer came early to change the face of local badminton as Stonehenge Falcons won the Division One title to deprive Salisbury Hurricanes of the crown they had held for the last seven years.

Veteran Steve Christmas as well as Rachel Jackson each won all three sets with their respective partners to seal a 6-3 win against Hurricanes that clinched top spot for Falcons. Hurricanes, with a match to play, can still match Falcons' points tally but can not reach their sets total.

Had Hurricanes won one more set to lose only 5-4, the extra point gained would have kept their title chance alive. The final set of the night in which Dale Gower and Jackson beat Nigel Maryan and Sarita Chan 21-18 made all the difference.

Hurricanes were without regulars Simon Woodhouse and Nicola du Feu, but will be first to recognise Falcons' inconsistency.

The new champions only dropped sets to Hurricanes all season, with their six 9-0 victories proving decisive.

Such has been Hurri-canes' dominance of the top division, their run of titles had totalled 23 in the last 25 years, interrupted only by two Stonehenge successes in the mid-90's.

In such a week, Avon-bridge's first points of the season were overshadowed. The Fordingbridge-based team achieved lift-off after five defeats with an 8-1 win at West Tytherley A.