With most members busy with family, three of us turned the Christmas Special into a Monopoly night. Michael was the unlikely victor, even though Jude had secured Mayfair and Park Lane from early on.

Rain halted the planned New Year’s Eve ride, but the trio salvaged the day with badminton at Ivybridge Leisure Centre, lunch in Plymouth, then PC games and a music quiz back at Crofters—a sociable, improvised finale to 2017.

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 full booking of all four courts at Ashmoor Leisure Centre defined the evening, giving uninterrupted play and a run of 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.

With some of the Bovey regulars absent, five of us enjoyed a relaxed evening of badminton, keeping two courts busy at the Ashmoor Leisure Centre in Ashburton; a smaller group, but plenty of good rallies and easy company.

An impromptu change of plan saw us ride through drizzly Luxulyan Valley to the Eden Project for free entry, lunch and a tour of the biomes. The swaying Rainforest Lookout tested nerves, and bumping into long-ago club members gave the day a pleasingly unexpected turn.

An evening of badminton was overshadowed by an unexpected visitor: a bat looping the sports hall for half an hour, mistaking the gloom for a cave. Amid opened doors and nervous glances, Dillan’s yelps and dives stole the show until the creature finally found its way out.

After a games social at Crofters we headed to Ashburton for badminton, where the evening became a run of tight, testing matches. Dillan had to withdraw after his first game with a sore arm, but the rest pressed on and enjoyed some excellent play.