GREG Mairs was in rueful mood after his Loughborough Lightning side suffered a surprise defeat to Suffolk Saxons in the AJ Bell National League on Monday.

However the Northwich ace insisted afterwards there is time to turn around their fortunes.

He was on court with Jenny Moore for a mixed doubles contest that decided the outcome of a close encounter.

The duo held a 7-5 advantage in the third set, and thought they had hit match-point only for a disputed line-call to rule it out.

Saxons’ Sean Vendy and Fee Teng Liew rallied to level the match before going on to clinch victory after a tie-break in the fifth.

It secured a 3-2 success for Suffolk on aggregate.

“It started well in the first set, but after that their players were getting used to it and started to find their way,” said Mairs.

“I think the experience Jenny and I have together helped us to hold it together early on.

“We battered them in the second set; we didn’t give them anything and were playing really well.

“But by the time we had a time-out in the third, a few points didn’t go our way.

“We had that match point, and I thought I’d hit the best back-hand drive of my life down the line.

“I saw it hit the white, but it was seen differently by somebody else which sometimes happens.

“From then on we were on the back-foot.

“We made a few sloppy mistakes; that moment led to us making some decisions when we weren’t thinking straight.

“Fair play to them; they took their chances and that happens.”

Peter Briggs and Harley Towler had got the hosts off to the perfect start earlier in the night, winning 3-1 against Vendy and Saxons’ captain Andy Ellis.

The visitors bounced back with a narrow 3-2 victory for Julie Finne-Ipsen against Lightning captain Chloe Birch before Henri Hurskainen regained the lead with a 3-0 win over Johnnie Torjussen in the men’s singles.

Saxons pair Sarah Walker and Finne-Ipsen took the women’s tie against Birch and Viki Williams before Loughborough’s fate was sealed in an eventful mixed doubles clash.

Mairs insists his side can bounce back from a defeat, insisting the standings can change in the blink of an eye.

“I’m sure we’ll come back stronger,” he said.

“It is a bit of a shock for me personally because I expected to win.

“We could have won 5-0, but that shows what the league is about; a couple of points here or there and a game has gone.

“With seven teams in the league, we’ve got a few more matches and hopefully we can continue to field strong teams and get a few wins under our belt.”

Loughborough Lightning return to action at Birmingham Lions next Tuesday.

Catch highlights on BT Sport 2 at 8pm tonight, Thursday. 

For team news, tickets and fixtures, visit nationalbadmintonleague.co.uk or follow @NBL_official on Twitter