BADMINTON: Meridians' David Block took the mens singles crown at 39th Ipswich & District Badminton League Championship. Block proved too strong for Ian Neal (Gainsborough), who had beaten last season's winner in an earlier round, and eventually triumphed 15-1, 15-5.

MERIDIANS' David Block took the mens singles crown at 39th Ipswich & District Badminton League Championship.

Block proved too strong for Ian Neal (Gainsborough), who had beaten last season's winner in an earlier round, and eventually triumphed 15-1, 15-5.

Abbeygate's Jo Hughes used her experience against Alys Kindred (Framlingham) to take the ladies singles title.

After losing a very even first set 13-12, Hughes rallied to take the next two 11-4, 11-3.

The mens doubles honours went to Miguel Soler and Paul Adderson, who retained their title.

The YMCA pair lost the opening set to the very attacking partnership of YMCA club-mates Peter Sidaway and Ivan Pulford.

The more experienced Soler and Adderson appeared to have no answer to the powerful smashes of their young pretenders as Sidaway and Pulford took the first game 15-4.

But a change in tactics in the second and third sets led to a nailbiting finish as the holders came back to win 15-12 and 15-13.

The result might have been different if Sidaway had not suffered a wrist injury.

The ladies doubles saw new winners in Jo Hughes and Toni Sturgeon (Abbeygate), who played some excellent shots and employed clever tactics – particularly a run of first-class serving by Sturgeon in the second set.

They beat an out-of-sorts Sue Poole and Sarah Gooding (YMCA) 15-9, 15-2.

The mixed doubles final was an all-YMCA affair with Adderson and Poole beating Soler and Gooding 15-12, 15-12 in a match littered with mistakes.

In the veteran mens singles handicap event, Neal (plus 4) ran out of steam and was easily beaten 15-7, 15-3 by Corinthians' Ian Joyce (plus 8).