The Isle of Man’s badminton players banished some of the hurt of the last two Island Games when they clinched bronze in Monday’s team competition in Orkney.

In Guernsey two years ago, the Manx had narrowly missed out on a team medal when they were beaten 3/2 by the hosts in the competition’s third/fourth play-off. It was a similar story in Gibraltar in 2019 when again they lost out on bronze, but this time to the Faroe Islands.

There was, however, to be no repeat at the Pickqhoy Centre on Monday evening though as the Manx battled to a well-deserved bronze medal.

The island team made a flying start to the tournament on Sunday, topping their group with victories over Gotland, Bermuda and hosts Orkney.

The latter game was played in a cacophony of noise in the badminton hall, with the Manx edging through to the semi-final stage thanks to a 3-2 win.

Matthew Nicholson and Jess Li got the ball rolling with a 2-1 win in the mixed doubles, before Kim Clague and Jessica Li won 2-0 in the women’s doubles.

Defeat for Tommy Cheng and Ben Kneale in the men’s doubles and Charlotte Watson in the women’s singles meant the tie was finely poised at 2-2 going into the deciding men’s singles.

Alex Buck then swung the match decisively in the Isle of Man’s favour, beating Andrew Reid 21/16, 22/20 to tee up a semi-final tie with Greenland on Monday morning.

This was another marathon encounter, lasting more than three hours.

Nicholson/Li lost the mixed doubles 2-0, before Clague and Jessica Li battled back from a set down to win 2-1.

The match swung again as 19-year-old Games debutant Mellor lost to the impressive Sara Jacobsen.

Buck dug deep to come from a set down to level things up once more with a 2-1 win in his singles match with Toke Driefter.

This meant the mean’s doubles match up between Buck/Nicholson and Driefter/Christoffersen would decide who would go through to the gold-medal match.

Buck and Nicholson, the latter in his sixth Island Games, battled hard but were ultimately edged out 12/21 17/21 by the Greenland pair who would go on to claim gold.

The result mean the Manxies faced Menorca for bronze on Monday afternoon.

Nicholson and Li, another of the Isle of Man’s Games veterans, won their nip-and-tuck match 2-1, 21/19, 21/23, 21/14.

Alex Buck lost 2-0 to the strong Menorquin number one Albert Navarro Comes 2-0, 21/17, 23/21 in the men’s singles, before 19-year-old Mellor put the Isle of Man back in front with 2-0 win over Mar Casanovas Ventura.

Jess also teamed up with Phillippa Li to win the women’s doubles 2-0 and clinch the match and bronze 3-1 for the Isle of Man, their first team medal since the Gotland Games in 2017.

Clague will be aiming to continue her formidable women’s doubles record later this week as she aims to scoop competition’s title for a record sixth time.

The Manx player, who will team up with Jess Li in the doubles, has now been to every IG since she made her debut at the Shetland Games in 2005 as a 17 year old.