RIVERSIDE were given a hard time before defeating Nestl Rowntree 6-3 in men's division one of the York Badminton League.

The match points total of 287-283 shows the closeness of the tie, but assured play from Geoff Oxley and Craig Dobson saw Riverside home with three wins for 94-74.

University Students 'B' suffered 0-9 defeats by RI Tuesday/Thursday 'A' and Tadcaster 86 in men's two. Mark Copley and Matt Hitchens top-scored for the Institute with 90-31, while sparkling badminton from John Greenhalgh and Mark Hanson brought Tadcaster's best return with 90-12.

St John's, pushing for promotion from men's three, scored a 6-3 home win over University Staff. George Noble and Steve Lawson showed their consistency once again with all three for 97-48, but were pushed to a rare third end before winning 15-8, 7-15, 15-7 against Eng Kiat Lim and Chongwen Wang.

The University Staff Ladies fared better when they visited Pocklington and won 8-1 in ladies two. Sheila Mackarel and Jiang Ming took three easy wins to return 90-36, while Cate Hyde and Wendy Arnold responded for Pocklington.

Shepherds 'A' showed varying form in mixed one with a 5-4 home win over Selby/Drax 'A' and a 6-3 defeat at Nestl Rowntree 'A'. Julie Smythe and Phil Brunyard took three Selby/Drax wins for 109-84, but Dave Simpson and Chiara Secchi sealed the home win with a four and seven over John Formby and Alison Dinsdale. Mark Barker and Joan Emmerson steered the confectionery team home with three wins to return 117-80.

Clifton 'C' were in good form in mixed two to record a 7-2 home win over Selby/Drax 'B'. Koi Chiro Mori and Heather Clarke put in the best home display with 94-38, including a tough 17-14, 17-14 success over Rex Pocklington and Angela Spivey.

After seven matches undefeated Selby Jubilee 'A' lost two consecutive matches in Mixed Two - 5-4 at Sheriff Hutton and 6-3 to leaders Clifton 'B'.

Updated: 11:29 Thursday, March 23, 2006