The Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) this week served off their National Junior Championships, and a number of potential talents came to the fore.
The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) was overtaken by Guyana’s youngest crop of badminton players as they competed in the GBA National Junior Tournament which has more than just a ‘Junior’ title on the line.
Having commenced on Thursday last, five categories encompass the tournament; namely Under-11, U13, U15, U17 and U19 in singles and doubles. However, the first playing day saw avid competition in the U19, U17 and U15 categories.
In the U15 boys’ singles, Aiden Bhagwandin took on Ruel Rambirichie and won 21-4, 21-8. Jaquan Nedd also enjoyed a 21-19, 15-21, 21-15 win over Nicholas Sawh, while Micah Holder found himself on the winning side against Nikolas Pollard 21-14, 21-5.
Action in the National Junior Tournament hosted at CASH
For the girls in the same age group, Gabrielle Felix defeated Genvieve Bookram 21-16, 21-11, while Malia Haley overcame Tanuja Netram 21-5, 21-6. Navaeh Eastman also picked up a 21-2, 21-1 win against Maleeah Hinckson.
Over in the boys’U17 category, Haresh Persaud and Avinash Ramnarine’s contest was the most entertaining. Spanning three sets, Persaud eventually won 21-16, 18-21, 21-11. Jedidiah Uwagboe defeated Nikolas Pollard 21-3, 21-3, Aiden Bhagwandin won against Gabriel Felix 21-9, 21-10, and Matthew Spooner overcame Michael Moorsalin 21-6, 21-12.
Also joining the long list of winners was Frank Waddell, after he took on Juan Ferreira 21-9, 21-10. In addition, Xavio Alexander took on Nathan Morrison and won 21-6, 21-10, while Jonathan Robinson claimed a victory against Karsen Abrams 21-12, 21-16.
The girls’ Under-19 category was sparsely contested, but witnessed fierce competition. In a three-set encounter, Malia Haley challenged Alyssa Dick and won 21-15, 16-21, 21-16, while Navaeh Eastman defeated Genvieve Bookram 21-13, 21-5.
For the boys’ category, Xavio Alexander enjoyed a win over Frank Waddell 21-10, 21-14, while Aiden Bhagwandin picked up a victory against Michael Moorsalin 21-15, 21-12. Also in the winners’ circle was Jonathan Robinson, who faced Matthew Spooner and won 21-19, 22-20.
Raah Russell won his match against Karsen Abrams 21-17, 21-18, and Haresh Persaud did the same against Juan Ferreira 21-17, 21-18. Viraj Singh defeated Jedidiah Uwagboe 21-12, 21-17, while in the last match of that day, Manav Sharma eased past Nathan Morrison 21-11, 21-6.
The National Junior tournament is set to conclude this weekend. Winners are likely to represent Guyana at the Inter-Guiana Games next month.
