Joseph Lau and Kate Pursell led a flurry of commanding performances as Bermuda’s rising stars took centre stage at the 3rd Annual Junior Badminton Tournament.
Organised by Bermuda’s top-ranked senior players and coaches, Emma Moran-Lee and Aaron Simmons, Saturday’s action saw 21 young shuttlers battle across the under-16 and under-18 divisions with national rankings and silverware on the line.
Lau emerged as the standout performer of the weekend, executing a clean sweep of the under-18 boys' honours. In the singles draw, he maintained an unbeaten record to regain his crown, coming out on top in a fiercely competitive division that saw three players level on five victories before being separated by points against. Finn Peters secured the runner-up spot, while Ethan Mello claimed third.
Lau then paired up with Aaron Lee to mount a successful title defence in the under-18 boys' doubles, taking the championship for the second year running without dropping a set. Peters and Mello showed grit to seal second place, rebounding from an opening-game loss to edge past third-placed Prince Domingo and Ryan McLean 17-21, 21-8, 21-16.
In the under-18 girls' singles, Hayleigh Cherry displayed determination to capture the trophy, overturning a first-game deficit against runner-up Annabel Olutiola to prevail 14-21, 21-18, 21-18 in a thrilling final.
The under-16 ranks saw dominant displays in both draws. Kate Pursell swept through the girls' division undefeated to claim the singles title ahead of Sophie McClure and Khushi Simha, before teaming up with McClure to add the doubles crown over runners-up Emmalyn Tothong and Simha.
On the boys' side, George Peniston marched to the under-16 singles title with an unblemished record, holding off runner-up Joshua Manning and third-placed Benji Stones.
Dominic Slater and Daniel Dalene proved untouchable in the under-16 doubles, lifting the trophy without dropping a single game. Maikel Dela Cruz and Benji Stones fought back from a game down against Praroop Srivastava and Riley Maybury to secure the runners-up medals.
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