What might have been for Bargh

Cathy Bargh was left to wonder what might have been at the All England Seniors in Hertfordshire

Badminton ace Cathy Bargh was left to wonder what might have been at the 99th All England Seniors 2015.

The Sedlescombe-based player was agonisingly edged out by the eventual winners in the over-50 women’s singles and doubles at Hertfordshire Sports Village, Hatfield.

Second seeds Bargh and Kay Vickers made it to the semi-finals of the doubles event where they were pipped 11-21, 21-18, 21-23 by Helle Buch and Lone Knudsen, although they at least had the consolation of being the only team to take a set off the Danes.

Bargh and Vickers had qualified for the semi-finals by topping group B with two straight sets wins out of two. They saw off another Danish pair, Hanne Bertelsen and Karin Rosager, 21-16, 21-4, and English duo Chris Summers and Tracy Walker 21-16, 21-15.

In the singles, Bargh - a professional badminton coach at Freedom Leisure Summerfields in Hastings - just missed out on the final after coming second in group A with two wins out of three.

She comfortably defeated Kim Stothard 21-7, 21-7 and Ursula Heale 21-5, 21-7, but was squeezed out by top seed Knudsen 21-19, 15-21, 21-23. Again she was the only player to take a set off Knudsen.

Bargh felt, however, that she ought to have been moved up to second seed in the singles - and thereby placed in the other group - following the withdrawal of Sian Williams.

“I was 19-16 up in the third against Lone and I should’ve won it,” Bargh said. “We also had match point in the doubles. That singles and doubles were there in the grasp.”