The Norfolk badminton teams have always found Notts a tough nut to crack and that experience continued at the weekend when the senior county second team lost to Notts thirds 5-10 in the Inter County Regional Championships, whilst the Under 17s suffered a close 9-11 defeat in the Shires League.

The senior team were 1-3 down after the opening singles games, with Mike Philpott gaining Norfolk's only win. In the level doubles Philpott and Chris Piff lost both their matches, whilst James Ruthen and Paul Daynes, Katie Ruthen and Michelle Dungar and Serena Verney and Lucy Curran shared their games, leaving the match score 8-4 in Notts' favour going into the final mixed doubles.

With the match already lost, Norfolk needed to win two of the remaining three games to earn a losing point, but it was not to be.

Daynes and Katie Ruthen won their match in two sets, but to offset that Cox and Curran lost in two, leaving Philpott and Dungar to battle to win the final game.

This went into three sets, with the Norfolk pair unfortunate to go down 23-25, in the third.

The Under 17s got off to a flying start, winning three of the four mixed doubles through Tom Hinks and Devon Minnis, Josh Kent and Emma Piper and Sam Dismore and Georgia Moyes.

The boys and girls singles were shared with wins for Hinks, Kent, Minnis and Moyes, leaving Norfolk 7-5 up going into the level doubles.

But then the wheels came off with Notts winning six of the final eight games.