STANHILL 'B' have experienced nothing but success since forming four years ago and it was that taste for victory that helped them snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

Stanhill, who have enjoyed three successive promotions since forming in 1996, were trailing 5-3 after the mixed doubles session but came storming back to put another promotion challenge back on course.

Last season's Division Three champions won seven out of eight level doubles matches to clinch a 10-6 win - and picked up four bonus points for their 211 points total.

However victory seemed a long way off after the mixed doubles where top pair Dave Vickers and Julie Blackburn had mixed fortunes.

They lost to the British Aerospace top seeds Peter Brindle and Lesley Havard 15-9 but hit back by beating BAe second pair Darren Clanford and Diana Hall 15-12.

However Ian Grimshaw and Linda Matthews went down in both their games, losing narrowly 15-14 against Clanford and Hall and then 15-9 against Brindle and Havard.

Mike Taylor and Louise Hustler managed to beat their fellow third seeds Lee Wigham and Judith Bestwick 15-14 but went down against fourth pair Zafar Ali and Liz Fogarty 15-11. The highlight of the mixed doubles for Stanhill was when fourth pair Norman Hayden and Carol Eldon caused an upset when they beat BAe's third pair Wigham and Bestwick 15-13, having earlier lost to fourth seeds Ali and Fogarty 15-5.

However the level doubles was a different story for Stanhill - despite top pair Vickers and Hayden losing 15-7 to Brindle and Clanford.

They made amends to beat Ali and Wigham 15-11 while Grimshaw and Taylor enjoyed double success with 15-5 and 15-13 wins against Ali and Wigham and then Brindle and Clanford.

And the ladies scored a clean sweep in their doubles matches with Matthews and Blackburn beating top seeds Havard and Hall 15-8 then beat Bestwick and Fogarty 15-7.

Hustler and Eldon followed up with a 15-5 win against Bestwick and Fogarty and then the match winning 15-9 win against Havard and Hall.

STANHILL: Dave Vickers, Ian Grimshaw, Mike Taylor, Norman Hayden, Julie Blackburn, Linda Matthews, Louise Hustler, Carol Eldon

BAE: Lee Wigham, Darren Clanford, Peter Brindle, Zafar Ali, Judith Bestwick, Liz Fogarty, Lesley Havard and Diana Hall.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.