Badminton
An ever-growing squad of passionate players earned some excellent doubles and singles victories .
The enthusiastic , talented and diverse badminton squad consisted of players from every year group from Year 9 to the Upper Sixth and within the Sixth Form group there were both male and female players . Throughout the year one of the features of the squad players was how much they wanted to play badminton both as part of the team and for recreation . Badminton is probably quite unique as a sport in that after every school match people just keep playing – sometimes further games against their opponents or , occasionally , even mixed matches with their opponents .
What set this year apart from previous years was the increase in numbers of students attending the lunch and after-school sessions ; with particular mention to Masmo Miyakawa for his dedication and immense improvements . A notable moment this season was our match against Whitgift , whom we encountered for the first time ever . The 1st team matches were of a very high standard and the team put on a captivating display in both doubles and singles matches to gain a well-deserved victory in an extremely tense match .
Oliver Lee was an inspirational captain ; an immensely talented player , he could always be relied on to win his matches with style . He also put a huge effort into bringing on other players and was awarded full colours for the second time . Andrew Tam was awarded a much-deserved half colours tie , playing half the season with an injury . Matthew Lam and Ishaan Vohra were our youngest players and a great addition . Ishaan ’ s sister Tanaya was also in the team , marking the first time a brother and sister from different year groups have been in the same team .
For many stalwarts of the squad it was their final year : Michael Dong and Nicholas Clinton worked together well as a 1st team pair , Benjamin Pinchuk and Jamie Ho played in several 2nd team matches and gained vital victories , Jing Hui Tan always gave his best , and the very talented Hana Yun-Stevens and Luke Rasmussen played when they were able . Recognition , however , must be given to everyone who has participated for us this year – the enthusiasm , skill and good humour always make badminton sessions a great pleasure .
Steve Owen
80 SPORT REVIEW