Somersfield Academy enjoyed a dream outing at the Middle School Boys Badminton Championships, utilizing their home-court advantage to pull off a spectacular clean sweep of all four gold medals on offer at the Somersfield Academy Gym.
The hosts put on a clinic in both the Under-13 and Over-13 divisions, leaving rival schools Warwick Academy and Saltus Grammar to battle it out for the remaining podium spaces.
The star of the show in the Under-13 category was undoubtedly Mason Smith, who walked away with two gold medals after a commanding display of precision and court coverage.
Smith spearheaded an all-Somersfield sweep of the podium in the Under-13 Singles Division. In the grand final, Smith proved too strong for schoolmate James Wallace, securing the title with a comprehensive 15-8, 15-5 victory. Hugo Adams ensured it was a total clean sweep for the hosts, defeating Warwick Academy’s Jahkari Burgess-Samuels 15-6, 15-10 in the third-place play-off to capture bronze.
Smith and Wallace then quickly turned from rivals into partners, teaming up in the Under-13 Doubles Division to capture Smith’s second gold of the day. The clinical duo cruised to a 15-7 victory over Warwick Academy’s Camden Collette and Maxwell Williams in the final.
The bronze medal match saw Saltus Grammar get themselves onto the podium, as Charles Balderas and Joseph Yammine defeated Warwick’s Cole Prior and Burgess-Samuels to take third.
The dominance continued into the Over-13 category, which also featured an all-Somersfield showdown for the singles crown. JitHom Liew showcased his elite net play and baseline power to defeat James Bigley 15-10, 15-8 in a highly entertaining final. Daniel Dalene rounded out another superb division performance for the school, defeating classmate Dominic Slater 15-10 in the third-place match to lock up the bronze medal.
However, Bigley would get his revenge in the Doubles Division. Teaming up with Praroop Srivatava, the pair produced a tactical masterclass to defeat singles champion Liew and his partner Colton Keans 15-10 in a winner-takes-all final to secure the gold medal.
The Over-13 doubles podium was completed by Warwick Academy, as George Peniston and Cayden Lee produced a gritty performance to defeat Saltus Grammar’s Owen Grasso and James Kenahan to secure a well-deserved bronze.
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