OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP 04/05
The Orkney singles championships were contested for last weekend with entries up on previous years with eleven players challenging for the men’s title and seven competing for the crown of ladies champion. More junior players entering was the main reason for the upturn in competitors which was very heartening to see and indeed it was one of these juniors who went on to steal the show.
The first round of the ladies singles saw no shock results as the more experienced players progressed although Laura Gray showed a good range of shots against previous winner Moira Nicolson and Mags Macrae showed good levels of fitness in her match against Cath Bremner and is one to look out for as she gains more experience. The first semi-final was a real battle as defending champion Elspeth MacLennan narrowly beat Cath Bremner 12-10 in the deciding set to set up the final against Moira Nicolson who beat Kim McKintosh in two sets in the other semi-final. Play was evenly matched in the first set of the final as both players tried to ‘suss out’ their opponents. Moira finally edged ahead as she won the first set 11-7. Buoyed on from taking the lead Moira kept the pressure on the defending champion and powered ahead to win the second set and the title by a score of 11-3. Well done to both players.
Like the ladies competition, the men’s did not throw up any shock results in the first round either but did show there are emerging players coming through as Eric Sclater, Gary Nicolson, Scott Chalmers and Ethan Bews all performed admirably against more experienced opposition. The first semi-final was contested between defending champion Eoin Ballantine and the promising junior Adam Bews. Because of squash commitments Adam has not been able to use his rackets skills to smash at goose feathers much this season but it was going to be interesting to see how his competitive experience and high levels of fitness were going to have an effect in the singles competition against the top players. The first set saw Adam settle down quickly as he played steady badminton to leave Eoin struggling to find his form. Adam went on to win the first set surprisingly comfortably 15-4. As expected, Eoin was never going to give up his crown without a battle and he started to play better in the second set although Adam made life difficult for him just by his ability to keep the rallies going and to get most shots back. Eoin went on to set up the deciding frame by winning the second set 15-10. The third set was going to be a real battle and the winner was going to have to play well to overcome his opponent. As the set wore on it was Adam’s steady play and fitness that started to be the deciding factor with Eoin hitting a few shots out trying to force the winner. Adam eventually secured a surprising but thoroughly deserved place in the final winning the third set 15-9.
The other semi-final paired Ross Groundwater against second seed Ian Gorn. The first set saw Ian take control as he won 15-7. Both these players are experienced singles players having been previous winners of the title which showed with a lot of good tactical play being observed. Ross had to dig deep into his reserves to win the second set with a close scoreline of 15-12 to force a deciding set. It was still anyone’s match but it would be Ross’s turn to savour victory against his old foe as he went on to win the third set 15-5 to secure a deserved place in the final.
Youth versus experience would be an appropriate way to describe the final. Could Adam beat another past winner and could Ross find even more reserves of energy after a laborious route to the final?
The first set saw Ross gain the upper hand by playing controlled consistent badminton and with Adam not finding his touch Ross took the first set with a scoreline of 15-6. The second set started the same as Ross gained an early 3-0 lead, but here he was to get stuck for a period as Adam forced himself into contention with determined play to level the scoreline. With Ross having served around seven times on three points without scoring you could see the effects of his efforts in the previous rounds were starting to catch up with him. Adam found better form as Ross’s dipped to let Adam forge ahead to tie the match winning the second set, also with a scoreline of 15-6. With Adams spirits and confidence now soaring he continued where he had left off and dominated the third set as Ross battled on despite his energy reserves all but having vanished. Adam continued his drive towards his first major badminton trophy in the senior section to win the final set 15-1. Congratulations to both players for their achievements during the day.
There were also plate competitions for first round losers. There were many good games through the rounds as Kim MacKintosh beat Mags Macrae 21-8 to win the ladies section whilst Calvin Reid beat Mick Swanney 21-17 in a close match to win the mens section. (C. Reid)