Friday 22nd March 2024

Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships 2024

RGU hosted the 2024 Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships. Two days full of fast-paced action provided great entertainment for spectators. Here’s a summary of the weekends events!

The 2024 Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships took place on the 15th/16th of March at RGU SPORT and featured 188 players across 5 different events. The weekend contained incredible moments of determination and skill, which culminated in a series of gripping finals on Saturday evening. Here’s how it went!

Friday morning began with men’s singles action, including a 46-minute match in the round of 128 between Aqeel Khaldun of St Andrews and University of Aberdeen’s Connor Mcrobbie, with the latter winning the third set to advance to the next round.

After a huge number of entertaining matches, the men’s singles final took place on Saturday evening, where Strathclyde University’s #1 Angus Meldrum faced #2 Ciar Pringle from the University of Stirling. A back-and-forth match took place where momentum swung both ways. Ultimately, Pringle’s power allowed him to erase a 1-0 set deficit in a captivating match and take home the gold medal, winning the final two sets 21-18, and 22-20.

Women’s singles proved to be equally entertaining. #3/4 Deepthi Ramesh from the University of Edinburgh proved to be strong from the start, making her way to the final without having a single game enter the third set. Including a win over #1 Toni Woods from the University of the West of Scotland in the semi-final 21-13, 21-18.

The other side of the bracket provided more intense matchups, including a semi-final between the University of Stirling’s #2 Xinrui Tan and Strathclyde’s #3/4 Sophie Ford. Tan advanced to set up a Stirling vs Edinburgh final.

Ramesh’s speed and technique proved too much for Tan, as she won the women’s singles final 21-14, 21-8.

Mixed doubles contained plenty more spectacular badminton and close matches for spectators in Aberdeen. Such as back-to-back 3-set matches for the University of Strathclyde’s #5/8 Finlay Sherrif and Sophie Ford. Including a 1 hour 13-minute game against the University of Edinburgh’s Godfrey Antomarlin and Harriet Dawson in the round of 16 which saw Strathclyde leave victorious.

The University of the West of Scotland’s Jack Macgregor and Toni Woods began the weekend #1 and immediately proved worthy of their ranking, winning their first game 21-5, 21-2. They continued their dominance on their route to the final through powerful and precise shots.

The other finalists, University of Edinburgh’s #2 Zachary Wong and Wen Jun, impressed on the other side of the bracket. Including a toughly contested victory against the University of Stirling’s #3/4 Ciar Pringle and Xinrui Tan 21-16, 21-16 in the semi-final.

The final produced a thrilling game of badminton, Wong and Jun won a close first set 21-18. Macgregor and Dow showed great resilience, fighting back in the second set to win 21-14.

Both teams were visibly exhausted going into the third set but unwilling to give up their chances to win a gold medal. Wong and Jun edged the last set 21-19, bringing home the victory for the University of Edinburgh.

Women’s doubles kicked off with a bang. An opening-round 3-set match featured the University of Strathclyde’s Caroline Deighan and Erin Sinclair against the University of Edinburgh’s Stella Doherty and Shermaine Leung. The Glasgow-based university took a narrow win in the final set 24-22.

Representing the University of Edinburgh, #1 Wen Jun and Jane Yi showed great court intelligence and skill as they advanced to the semi-finals to face the University of the West of Scotland’s #5/8 Toni Woods and Maria Leith. A close match between two strong pairings resulted in a 21-18, 21-17 victory for the University of Edinburgh.

The other semi-final was an all-Edinburgh University affair, #3/4 Anett Karsai and Eilidh Mccallister faced #5/8 Sophie Barrie and Sophia Schubert. Either team could have advanced but clutch shots from Karsai and Mccallister saw them win both sets 22-20.

The first set of the women’s doubles final proved to be tense and hugely entertaining for everyone watching on at RGU. Both teams were impressive throughout, eventually Jun and Yi won 28-26 meaning they took control of the match entering the second set. A fierce second set with several long rallies resulted in a 21-15 win for the #1 ranked duo.

Finally, entering men’s doubles, Kenneth Cheung and Adam Pringle were the favourites, ranked number 1.  After three strong performances, they advanced to the semi-final to set up a Glasgow derby, when they took on the University of Glasgow’s #5/8 Alastair Campbell and Alex Chudic. Supporters were plentiful and passionate for both sides. The Strathclyde pairing grabbed the victory, 21-11, 21-7.

The other semi-final featured another Strathclyde duo, #5/8 Angus Meldrum and Finlay Sheriff matched up against #2 Torben Trapp and Zachary Wong from the University of Edinburgh. The duo from the University of Edinburgh advanced after two intense, competitive sets, winning 21-18, 21-15.

Unfortunately, the University of Edinburgh pairing was forced to retire in the final, as Wong was in serious pain due to a cramp in his calf and was unable to participate to the best of his abilities. This meant Cheung and Pringle were crowned winners and took gold medals back to the University of Strathclyde.

The University of Edinburgh won the Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships 2024 thanks to their victories in the mixed doubles, women’s doubles, and women’s singles. Wen Jun won the MVP award for the weekend, her impressive physicality and technique were vital in Edinburgh’s victories in mixed doubles and women’s doubles. She won 11 games and was undefeated across the two days.

A massive thanks to RGU SPORT and RGU Badminton for helping us host an amazing event, and to all the volunteers who made it run so well.

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