HAVING won their opening two matches, Bude hosted Budleigh Salterton on Thursday, April 17 in a match crucial for the team to improve upon their runners-up spot last year in the South West Federation Higher Handicap League.

In the first round of five singles games, Steve Thie was first to finish with a thumping 7-0 win.

Vic Frampton had a comfortable victory, but Keith Hansford, Dave Langdown, and Pete Cash all had to work hard for their successes to give Bude an overall 5-0 lead.

This was a superb start against a very accomplished club, but things were destined to get even better. Cash notched up a 7-1 victory, Frampton, Thie and Langdown all won comfortably to set up a 9-1 margin, meaning they needed just two more points for the overall victory.

Phil Dorren and Eddie Piper-Mayo then entered the fray and both forced narrow wins, while Langdown added to pointstally and Thie gained yet another comfortable victory.

With two league points now guaranteed, and the pressure off, Bude really went on the rampage. Thie comfortably won his fourth game of the match, gaining his 10th consecutive competitive success for a really inspired man-of-the-match performance.

Langdown and Frampton won the first of the four doubles games, but Budleigh, who had fought hard in every game to reduce the deficit, then pulled one back.

However, Bude won all three matches in the fifth and final round for a staggering 18-2 overall win. Keith Hansford won the penultimate singles 7-2, and Val and Dave Langdown took their doubles encounter 7-5. Cash, who is forming a good doubles partnership with Piper-Mayo, secured his third win of the day to continue his impressive start to the season.

Bude, who are in only their second season of league competition, visit St Agnes in their next outing.