John Culshaw Memorial Badminton Tournament, at Hyndburn Sports Centre.

CUTTLESHOCKS upset the odds to win the annual John Culshaw Memorial Tournament.

The team, who only came together to take part in the event, took advantage of the handicap system to beat some of the best teams in the area.

Mohammed Arif, Russell Lund, Anne Shepherd and Linda Horsfield, who all attend adult badminton classes, handed out a few lessons of their own to scoop the trophy.

The event -- now in its fourth year -- attracted 14 teams from across Hyndburn and Blackburn.

Teams were split into three groups with the best group winner qualifying for the final while the remaining two fighting out a play-off.

Each team included four players and matches consisted of men's doubles, ladies doubles and two mixed double contests.

And it was Cuttleshocks who made the final with the best overall points record -- despite being drawn in the toughest group.

That meant Try Harder and Olympic 'B' had to meet in a play-off to decide who would go through to the final.

And that proved to be one of the matches of the tournament in contest either side could have won. But it was Olympic 'B' who emerged as victors, scrapping through 86-83.

Try Harder's losing play-off team included Mohammed Aslam, Rehana Aslam, Nigel Robinson and Maureen Parkinson.

In the final, Cuttleshocks carried a crucial +56 handicap compared to Olympic 'B's scratch.

In the men's doubles, Olympic 'B's Rob Jackson and Adrian Douglas beat Mohammed Arif and Russell Lund 21-8.

It was the same scoreline in the ladies doubles with Sue Mellor and Beverely Eastwood proving to be too good for Anne Shepherd and Linda Horsfield.

Despite losing the two opening matches, importantly for Cuttleshocks they kept picking up points -- and in the mixed doubles Arif and Shepherd beat Jackson and Mellor 21-19.

The final mixed doubles match saw Olympic win again with Douglas and Eastwood beating Lund and Horsfield 21-5.

That gave Olympic an overall total of 82 but Cuttleshocks took the title thanks to their handicap advantage to finish on a total of 98.

Mr Culshaw's widow Jean Field and his former badminton partner Jack Standen presented the awards. The teams that took part would like to thank Neil Long and Liz Pilkington for organising the event.