After indoor games at Crofters, we moved to Ashmoor for badminton—an evening of brisk rallies and shared effort. Gavin joined us for the session, rounding off a simple, satisfying club night.

A bitterly cold ride defined by the glove saga: George’s frozen fingers prompted a dash to warmth before Dillan lent him his gloves—then suffered himself until the café at Endsleigh. Gavin was still sawing wood as we passed, and we hurried home to the Crofters clubroom.

A booking mix-up meant the fourth court had gone, so we managed on three with a run of doubles. From next week we have all four courts booked every week.

We rode into Dartmoor to seek out the historic Week Ford Blowing House, picking our way through bogs and a high O Brook. Wet feet were eased by hot drinks at Holne café, where John rejoined us on his first test ride since donating a kidney.

A brief note: all four courts were booked for us this evening, allowing for some excellent matches.

With heavy rain forecast, the ride was converted to a social: badminton instead of bikes. The downpour never quite matched the warning, but the group still enjoyed a lively session at Ivybridge.