A leading Oxfordshire club have complained after their opponents used a leading woman player in their men’s doubles team.

Abingdon have appealed to the Oxfordshire Five Disciplines League after losing their final match of the season to Oxford-based club Colts & Co, who thought they were allowed ro do so under the rules.

The player whom Colts & Co brought into the team was none other than the former Oxfordshire champion Amanda King, who helped her male partner to a key victory.

Although Abingdon A went down narrowly 237-228, they hung on to runners-up position in Division 1.

One of the Abingdon players, who preferred not to be named, said: “It was a bizarre moment when we saw her taking to the court.

“Apparently there’s nothing in the league rules that specifically says that a woman can’t play in a men’s pair.”

Ian Ross, from Colts & Co, said that his club were not trying to take advantage of the situation.

“We are a small club,” he explained. “Because of injury and work commitments we had only one man available.

“Three men we could have brought in were considered unacceptable by the league, who have a rule that in the last two matches clubs cannot pick non-members who are better than the players they are replacing.

“As Amanda is a member, she was available under that criteria.

Ross contacted Badminton England, the sport’s national governing body.

“They did not have a specific ruling onpreventing women playing in a men’s doubles,” added Ross.

However, Darren Parks, badminton England’s head of competitions and events, said he advised Colts & Co to consult with their opponents before using King in the men’s doubles.

“Both teams had to be happy for her to participate,” he said.

“As the discipline is called a men’s doubles, it seems that the rules are quite clear,” he said.

Rob McKinney, secretary of the Five Disiplines League, confirmed that Abingdon were persisting with their appeal which would heard in the next two weeks.

“To be fair, Colts & Co are a very small club,” he said.

“Whatever happens to the appeal, it is seems likely that the competition’s rules will have to be clarified.