The U13 Badminton Championships, sponsored by Capital International and held once again at the Roundhouse in November, attracted a strong entry across all events. The competition showcased the depth of junior badminton on the island, with a number of tight matches and impressive performances throughout the day.
The Girls’ Singles competition was played across three round-robin groups. With an uneven number of groups, the winner of Group A progressed directly to the final, while the winners of Groups B and C met in the semi-final.
Group A was led by Abigail Kwan, who produced a series of assured performances to win all three of her matches and book her place in the final. The contest for second place was closely contested, with Xara Quinn edging ahead to finish runner-up in the group and secure a bronze medal.
In Group B, Erin Corlett topped the group after coming through her matches unbeaten, with Charlotte Quayle pushing her closely throughout. Group C followed a similar pattern, as Aamiya Cijesh won all of her matches to advance, while Connie Creer finished runner-up in a competitive group. The semi-final saw Erin face Aamiya for a place in the final, with Erin producing a composed performance to progress and set up a meeting with Abigail. As a semi-finalist, Aamiya joined Xara on the bronze medal podium.
The final was a well-contested match, with both players playing some very competitive badminton. Abigail edged the encounter 21–17 to claim the gold medal and the girls singles title, while Erin was awarded a well deserved silver.
The Open Singles event was played across two large round-robin groups, with the top two players from each group progressing through to the semi-finals.
Group A was topped by Wai Cheung, who came through his matches unbeaten, with Sebastian Dossor securing second place after a number of competitive games. In Group B, George Yan finished top of the group, closely followed by Evan Cooke, who claimed the second qualifying spot.
The semi-finals produced two entertaining matches. Wai edged a tight contest against Evan 21–19 to book his place in the final, while George produced a composed performance to defeat Sebastian 21–9. Semi-finalists, Evan and Sebastian were awarded the bronze medals.
The final was another close encounter, with both players showing excellent composure. Wai edged the match 22–20 to claim the gold medal and his first open singles title while George took silver after a great performance.
The Girls’ Doubles event was contested as a single round-robin group, with pairs competing across a full schedule of matches. Lara Stewart and Sarah Garrity finished fourth overall and were awarded bronze medals, alongside Erin Corlett and Xara Quinn, who claimed third place. The battle for the top two positions effectively became a final, with both leading pairs unbeaten heading into their meeting. Connie Creer and Charlotte Quayle finished second overall to take the silver medals, while the gold medals were secured by Aamiya Cijesh and Abigail Kwan, who remained unbeaten throughout the group, winning all five of their matches. A second title of the day for Abigail.
The Open Doubles event was also played as a single round-robin group and produced several competitive matches. Elliot Dowd-Williams and Jack Cregeen finished third overall, while Sebastian Dossor and Harry Connolly claimed fourth place, with both pairs receiving bronze medals.
The battle for the top of the group came down to the meeting between the two leading pairs. Aaron Silva and Wai Cheung remained in contention throughout the event and finished second overall to take the silver medals. The gold medals were secured by Evan Cooke and George Yan, who finished unbeaten, with their match against Aaron and Wai proving to be one of the standout contests of the day. With the gold medals effectively on the line, the game was decided 22–20 in a fitting conclusion to the Open Doubles event.
The Mixed Doubles event was contested across two round-robin groups, with the winners of each group progressing through to the final.
Group A was headed by Connie Creer and Wai Cheung, who came through their matches unbeaten. Abigail Kwan and Evan Cooke followed closely behind and were awarded the bronze medals after finishing second.
Group B was similarly competitive at the top, with Charlotte Quayle and George Yan edging the group, while Erin Corlett and Aaron Silva finished second and received the bronze medals.
The final proved to be a brilliant contest, with the match remaining finely balanced throughout and either pair capable of taking the win. In the end, Charlotte and George edged a nip-and-tuck encounter 22–20 to secure the gold medals, while Connie and Wai were awarded silver after an excellent performance.
The association would like to thank all parents and supporters for their continued support throughout the championships, as well as the tournament organisers and officials for their hard work in ensuring the event ran smoothly. Thanks are also extended to the Roundhouse for hosting the competition once again, and to Capital International Group for their continued support as event sponsors.
