Playing a ‘home’ Devon League fixture at Isca while awaiting a move to a new site, the Otters travelled to Exeter with a team that included new blood for experience at this level, writes Dave West.
The triples saw the clubs neck and neck with one game apiece:
Pete Smith, John Thatcher and Mike Bird beat Isca’s Mac and Ann Paterson and Rob Brealey 13-6, but Dave West, Derek Hansen and Pete Marles fell at the last hurdle losing 13-10 to Stuart Brown, Joan Dixie and Sylvia.
So the three doubles would decide the match result, but the Otters couldn’t fish for the result!
The two Pete’s lost 13-3 to Stuart and Yvonne Brown, while Dave and Derek just avoided a whitewash by going down 13-1 to a very in-form Rob and Joan.
There did seem to some hope in the final game when John and Mike held a 12-8 lead against Mac and Ann, but the experienced Exeter pair fought back to leave the Otters being edged out 13-12.
So the match result was a 4-1 victory for Isca, but the new Ottery players benefitted from their experience and the club is looking forward to the return match in August.
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