News Article
Badminton Scotland
Hoggan and Neill called up for European Championships
GORDON HOGGAN is set for his Scotland debut after being named in the squad for the European Team Championships in Amsterdam, starting next Tuesday (Feb 15).
The Dunfermline player, who was runner-up to Glasgow’s Kieran Merrilees in the men's singles final at the Yonex Scottish National Championships, joins doubles champion Jamie Neill of Hamilton in the 10-strong team.
Neill will also make his debut while men's doubles partner Keith Turnbull (Larkhall) has earned a recall, having won the last of his three caps in 2006. They get the nod after beating Martin Campbell and Angus Gilmour to retain their National title.
Longniddry’s Paul Van Rietvelde, who won the National mixed doubles title with Imogen Bankier of Glasgow, is also in a squad where the five men have just 23 caps between them. In contrast, the women's squad features five experienced internationals with six-time National singles champion Susan Egelstaff (Glasgow) holding 85 caps, Bankier 39, Edinburgh’s Jillie Cooper and Emma Mason 25 each and Linda Sloan (Glasgow) 18. Cooper and Mason were crowned National women’s doubles champions on Sunday.
Merrilees, Egelstaff, Bankier and Cooper all played two years ago in Liverpool when only a defeat by England in their final group match prevented the six-strong Scotland squad reaching the last eight. Andy Bowman and Watson Briggs were the other two members of the squad two years ago.
Scotland are drawn in Group 6 with sixth seeds France, Slovakia and Spain. Only the group winner will proceed to the knockout quarter-finals.
A total of 32 nations entered but Greece have since withdrawn. Denmark are the defending champions and 13-times winners while England, the silver medallists in Liverpool, have won the title five times with Sweden the only other winner. Germany are the second seeds in Amsterdam with England third seeds.
Playing schedule:
Wed Feb 16: 10am Scotland v Spain
Wed Feb 16: 7pm Scotland v Slovakia
Thurs Feb 17: 2pm Scotland v France
Feb 18 - Quarter-finals; Feb 19 - Semi-finals; Feb 20: Final
Scotstoun to stage 4 Nations Disabled Championships
SCOTSTOUN Leisure Centre will play host to the Scottish leg of the 4 Nations Disabled Badminton Championships from February 18-20. It is the fourth time Scotland have hosted the Championships.
The event has attracted an impressive 100-strong entry, improving on the number of competitors who entered last year, with 50 players in the learning disability, 19 in the dwarfs, 16 in the wheelchair and 15 in the standing categories.
Leading the Scottish challenge will be mixed doubles partners Diane Gillan (East Kilbride) and Cameron Robertson (Kilmarnock), who both won trebles in the learning disability categories last year.
Alan Oliver (Alloa) last year won the standing men’s half court singles, beating Connor McFarlane (North Berwick) in the final, and he will also be challenging for honours again. The pair also reached the final of the doubles last year and they team up once again this year to try and go one step further by winning it.
Deirdre Nagle (Kilmarnock) is another Scotland based player to watch out for after finishing runner-up in the women’s singles and doubles in the dwarf events last year.
Already this season the Championships have visited Wales in September and Ireland in November and England will host the fourth leg in May.
Lyndon Williams, Vice President of the Parabadminton World Federation, said “Once again it is great to see such an impressive entry at this season’s Scottish leg of the 4 Nations tournaments. It is also good to see some new players taking part for the first time.
“There is no doubt that the standard has risen considerably across all the categories and I am expecting some superb games over the weekend. I would encourage everyone to come along and watch what is truly an amazing event.”
The tournament starts on the Friday evening with the learning disability events and spectators are welcome on all three days.
For more information as the event draws near check out www.badmintonscotland.org.uk
Egelstaff’s joy of six at the Yonex Scottish National Championships
SUSAN EGELSTAFF scooped her sixth Yonex Scottish National title today when she defeated Linda Sloan in the final at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth.
There was another Glasgow triumph when Kieran Merrilees lifted his first National men’s singles title when he beat Gordon Hoggan 21-19 21-12 after finishing runner-up last year.
Egelstaff’s 21-15 21-18 win brought final agony for Sloan for the third year in a row.
Egelstaff had reached the final with a 21-15 21-13 win over Bothwell’s Kirsty Gilmour while Sloan toppled Viktoria Tsvetanova 21-11 21-6 to set up an all-Glasgow final.
There was more frustration in the women’s doubles final for Sloan when she and and Imogen Bankier went down in the final to Edinburgh’s Emma Mason and Jillie Cooper 15-21 22-20 21-15.
It gave Mason her third title, having won with Bankier in 2008 and 2010 while Cooper made it two titles after her win with Bankier in 2009. As for Sloan she had to settle for doubles runners-up spot for the second year running.
Bankier made up for her level doubles disappointment when she and Paul Van Rietvelde (Longdniddry) defeated Martin Campbell and Jillie Cooper (Edinburgh) 21-15 21-13. That gave Bankier her fifth mixed doubles title in a row after four wins with Renfrew’s Watson Briggs.
In the men’s doubles Hamilton’s Jamie Neil and Larkhall’s Keith Turnbull retained their title when they defeated second seeds Martin Campbell (Edinburgh) and Angus Gilmour (Troon) 16-21 21-18 21-18 in a 51-minute duel.
The Derrick Roarty Award for outstanding service to badminton went to Ellen Howat from Blairgowrie.
The Championships were brought to Perth once again thanks to the support of Perth and Kinross Council, Perth Common Good Fund, Live Active Leisure and Perth & Kinross Sports Council.
To view the full Championship results check out www.tournamentsoftware.com
GILMOUR BARS EGELSTAFF’S PATH TO YONEX SCOTTISH NATIONALS FINAL
KIRSTY GILMOUR will face defending champion Susan Egelstaff ( Glasgow) in tomorrow morning's women's singles semi-finals at the Yonex Scottish National Badminton championships at the Bell's Sports Centre in Perth.
Defending champion Egelstaff, chasing her sixth Scottish title, defeated Rebekka Findlay (Erskine) 21-14 21-12 in her quarter-final while 17-year-old Gilmour from Bothwell got the better of Fiona Archibald (Larkhall) in a three-game thriller, winning 21-8 19-21 21-15.
In the bottom half of the draw second seed and two-time runner-up Linda Sloan (Glasgow) came through an equally tough battle against former champion Rita Yuan Gao (Paisley). She won 14-21 21-17 22-20 to set up a semi-final with Viktoria Tsvetanova (Glasgow). Tsvetanova beat Caitlin Pringle (Glasgow) 21-16 21-17 in her quarter-final.
In the men's singles eight-times champion Bruce Flockhart from Kelty won a tough three-game test against Jordan Gilvear (Falkirk) 14-21 21-10 21-19 in the first round but then shocked Andrew Gilliland of Bearsden 21-13 21-10 to earn a quarter-final with Kenny Young (Lanark).
But Flockhart's run came to an end with Young winning 21-14 21-16 to set up a semi-final with Gordon Hoggan (Dunfermline), who defeated Matthew Carder (South Queensferry) 21-19 21-13. This contest will bed a repeat of last month’s Dunfermline Open final which Hoggan won.
Top seed Kieran Merrilees (Glasgow) has yet to drop a game as three wins took him into the last four. Last year's beaten finalist won his quarter-final with Danny Leinster (Glasgow) 21-4 21-10 to book a semi-final with Calum Menzies (Falkirk), who beat him in last year's final. Menzies beat Jakob van den Berg (Longniddry) 21-5 21-6.
Imogen Bankier continues her title quest in tonight’s women's doubles having already qualified for tomorrow's mixed doubles final where Paul Van Rietvelde (Longniddry) will be aiming to help her to a fifth consecutive title after four wins with Renfrew's Watson Briggs. They face second seeds Martin Campbell and Jillie Cooper (Edinburgh).
The semi-finals tomorrow start at 10am tomorrow with the finals from 1.45pm.
The Championships are brought to Perth once again thanks to the support of Perth and Kinross Council, Perth Common Good Fund, Live Active Leisure and Perth & Kinross Sports Council.
To follow the Championship results check out www.tournamentsoftware.com
Yonex Scottish National Badminton Championships
Later today, play commences at the Yonex Scottish National Badminton Championships, to be held at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth. The mixed doubles event will be played up to and including the semi-finals, and play is scheduled to finish at approximately 20.30 hours.
On Saturday play continues at 09.30 hrs with Men’s Singles, Ladies’ Singles, Men’s Doubles and Ladies’ Doubles up to and including quarter-finals stages. Play is scheduled until approximately 19.30 hrs.
The remaining semi-finals will commence at 10.00 hrs on Sunday and play culminates with finals from 13.45 hours to establish the Yonex Scottish National Badminton Champions.
For further information contact BADMINTONscotland 0141 445 1218 or visit www.badmintonscotland.org.uk
Gilmour on course to face Egelstaff at Yonex Scottish Nationals
BOTHWELL’S teenage prospect Kirsty Gilmour is on course to meet five-times champion Susan Egelstaff in the semi-finals after the draw for the Yonex Scottish National Championships were announced today.
Glasgow’s Egelstaff, who has a first-round bye, will begin her title defence against Rebekka Findlay (Erskine) or Fiona Bain (Glasgow) in the second round while Gilmour begins her bid against Hannah Laing in the first round when the Championships get under way at Bell's Sports Centre in Perth this weekend.
The action starts with mixed doubles on Friday night with the singles action beginning on Saturday morning. The semi-finals and finals are on Sunday.
Egelstaff's other main danger in the singles will come from second seed Linda Sloan, who has been runner-up to her fellow Glaswegian for the last two years. Sloan also has a first-round bye but could then face former champion Rita Yuan Gao (Paisley) in the second round if the Chinese-born former Scotland international overcomes Megan Richardson (Haddington) in the opening round.
In the men's singles Glasgow's Kieran Merrilees is chasing his first title and in a 32-strong draw he faces another Glasgow player, Usman Asif, in the opening round. Seeds Lewis Gallacher (Kilmarnock), defending champion Calum Menzies (Falkirk) and Josh Neil (Prestwick) are also drawn in Merrilees’ half.
In the bottom half Dunfermline’s second seed Gordon Hoggan starts his title bid against Craig Pollock (Longniddry). He has seeds Matthew Carder (South Queensferry), Kenny Young (Lanark) and eight-times champion Bruce Flockhart (Kelty) in his half.
It’s all eyes on Glasgow’s Milton Keynes-based Imogen Bankier in the doubles event. She is bidding for a fifth successive mixed doubles title with her new partner, Longniddry’s Paul Van Rietvelde. They begin with a bye then take on Motherwell’s Craig Morrison and Haddington’s Hannah Laing.
The main danger will come from Edinburgh second seeds Martin Campbell and Jillie Cooper, who also have a bye before facing Patrick McHugh (Kinross) and Emma Cook (Mauchline) – and a win there could put Campbell on course to meet brother Michael and his partner Caitlin Pringle (Glasgow) in the third round.
In the women’s doubles Bankier has won the title in 2008 and 2010 with Emma Mason and in 2009 with Jillie Cooper.
This weekend she partners Linda Sloan and the second seeds begin with a bye then take on Frances Heslop (Falkirk) and Viktoria Tsvetanova (Glasgow) or Kirsten Geals (Mauchline) and Emma Gallacher (Wishaw).
Edinburgh players Cooper and Mason team up to be top seeds and they also have a bye before facing Haddington duo Laing and Richardson.
There could be danger looming for the top seeds in the semi-finals if former champions Egelstaff and Yuan Gao win through to the last four.
In the men’s doubles defending champions Jamie Neill (Hamilton) and Keith Turnbull (Larkhall) start with a bye in another event with a big entry. In the second round they will meet Bryan Forbes (Larkhall) and Siddhartha Singh (Edinburgh).
Second seeds Martin Campbell and Troon’s Angus Gilmour have a first-round bye before Campbell does get to meet his brother in the second round - Michael Campbell and Patrick McHugh also have a first-round bye.
The Championships are being staged again at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth with support from Perth and Kinross Council, Perth and Kinross Sports Council and Live Active Leisure.
Yonex are the event sponsors and long-time supporters of BADMINTONscotland.
Badminton boost for disability players in Glasgow
BADMINTONscotland are all set to launch a new badminton club at the end of February for athletes with physical disabilities or sensory impairments
The club will be launched on 27 February 2011 at the Glasgow Club at Scotstoun which is also the venue for the Scottish event in the 4 Nations Disabled Championships Series, which will be held from 18-20 February, the weekend before the launch of the new club.
The club has been set up in partnership with Glasgow Life and Scottish Disability Sport and will offer junior players the chance to receive coaching from BADMINTONscotland qualified coaches Alan Oliver, currently ranked No 5 on the Para Badminton World Federation Rankings List for his category SDL2, and also Kaity Hall, a former Scottish European Junior Squad Player.
John Shearer, Coaching and Development Officer, BADMINTONscotland commented “The club will cater for players with a physical disability and/or visual impairment although bringing along family members and friends is encouraged. Players will have the opportunity to gain quality coaching as well as playing games at the club.
“Disability badminton has continued to expand in Scotland over the past few years with annual competitions, disability coach workshops and the formation of a Physical Disability National Squad which ran its first session in August 2010”
The first session on February 27th will be from 6pm-8pm and will be free to all players who attend. Equipment will be supplied by BADMINTONscotland. For more information please call John Shearer on 0141 445 1218.
