Badminton News Archive 2007
November 2007
1 November 2007 - 14 Players to join BADMINTONscotland National Junior Squads
Under 15 National Doubles and Mixed Champion Gregor McVean leads the list of School of Sport players invited to join the National Squads at Under 15 and Under 19 for the new block which will run from October 2007 through to March 2008. Danny Leinster received his first invitation to join the squad and this is a great reward for Danny’s efforts during the past few years.
The National Squads are selected mainly from the recent National Championships and from other domestic events during the year. Players are invited to attend a 3 hour session on weekly basis held at Scotstoun Badminton Academy.
Congratulations to all players who have been invited. Names are listed below.
| Under 15 Players | Under 19 Players |
| Gregor McVean | Steven Byers |
| Ben Torrance | Steven Stewart |
| Jordan Gilvear | Danny Leinster |
| Josh Neil | Greg McLure (Guest) |
| Adam Hall | Lisa McMullen |
| Emma Cook | Kaity Hall |
| Rebekka Findlay | |
| Robyn Glen |
October 2007
22 October 2007 - Under 13 Gold Challenger at Burgesshill, Sussex
Report by Adam Hall (S1)
We arrived at the Olympos sports centre after an 8 hour drive or a plane journey to play in the English gold challenger in Burgesshill, Sussex and we were ready to play the top English players at Under 13. In the singles competition James Milton was unlucky to get the number 1 seed in his pool and narrowly lost in the second set 25-23. Josh Neil and Adam Hall both from Glasgow School of Sport managed to fight their way to the final making it an all Scottish final with Josh beating the number 1 seed in the semis 22-20 and 27-25 and Adam beating the 6 th seed 21-15 and 21-13. Josh edged it in the final beating Adam in three sets winning 21-9, 20-22 and 21-19.
Josh Neil and Adam Hall at Burgesshill |
None of the Scottish players were in the mixed doubles competition so the last event was the level doubles. James and Josh who were number 1 seeds easily got through their pool. Adam opted for an open entry and partnered Tom Harris from Sussex. They had a tougher pool with the number 4 seeds but pulled through winning 21-14, 21-10. Unfortunately, the two Scottish pairs had to play each other in the semi finals with Josh and James winning 21-15, 21-19. Josh and James went on to beat the number 2 seeds 21-16, 24-22.
We were all doing each others breaks at 11 and 21 which was a learning experience and fun to do as there were no coaches there. As the tournament was only 1 day we all headed back to travel lodges and waited to go home the following day after a hard day’s work and a successful tournament to get ready for the next one.
20-21 October 2007 - Gordon Thomson Leads the Way at West of Scotland Open
The West of Scotland Open Badminton Championships was held on 20-21 October 2007 at the Cockburn Centre, Glasgow and many of the School of Sport players were involved. All players in S5 & S6 competed in this senior event mainly for the experience. The talented Kirsty Gilmour was at the event for experience as she is still only 15 years old and she had an opportunity to compete in the mixed doubles with her uncle David who is ex-International player and National Champion at senior level.
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Craig, Kirsty, Kirsty, Bruce and Lewis during training at Farum Badminton Club, Denmark |
Gordon Thomson - Singles Champion at West Open |
The main event of Men’s Singles was won by Glasgow School of Sport Performance Coach Gordon Thomson . Gordon played very well to defeat Stuart Gilliland in 2 sets. Stuart had previously knocked out Kenny Young 21-10, 21-18 in the semi final. As Gordon is National Singles Champion this was a great opportunity for the young players from the School of Sport to see him in competitive action. In the ladies’ singles National Under 19 Champion Lisa McMullen lost in the final to Jaclyn Gilliland again in 2 sets.
In the Mens’ Doubles, High Performance Coach Craig Robertson partnered David Gilmour and won the title with a defeat of David Forbes and Stewart Kerr . Finally in the mixed doubles Kirsty Gilmour and David won the consolation event.
Overall good performances included Steven Stewart reaching the final of consolation singles losing in 3 sets to Jakob Van Den Berg, Kirsty Gilmour reaching the singles semi final and Danny Leinster and Steven Byers performing well in their doubles match against the top seeds.
This type of event is excellent exposure and experience for the young players at the school. To compete against some of the country’s top players and see them in action can only act as a motivational tool to improve and reach that level.
October 2007 - Kirsty Gilmour reports on The Danish Junior Cup 2007
I got up, a bit earlier than usual, and made my way to Glasgow airport. We then flew to London Stansted, then to Copenhagen with no troubles or delays. After that, Craig, Diana, Lewis, Bruce, Catriona, Kirsty, Angus, Martin and I caught a strange train from the airport to Copenhagen station. While Craig ran about the tourist information point the rest of the group stood shivering on a street corner across from the Hard Rock Café and a Radisson hotel.
We eventually found the Absalon hotel and found that it was packed with hundreds of players and coaches from other teams. The rooms were nice and clean and had comfy beds. It was another early rise the next at 6:45 a.m. and down to the busy breakfast room where there was fruit and cereals and yoghurts (although most of us opted for the bread and nutella).
I’ve played in a few European tournaments but this was the biggest with 64 girls and 128 boys competing at Under 15 level. Because of the large numbers, there had to be two separate halls. For the Mixed Doubles, the top half of the draw was in ‘Balleruphallen’ and the bottom in ‘Hedegardshallen’. Bruce and I played well considering we’ve never played or trained together but lost in our first game to a Danish couple, 14-21, 22-20. Lewis and Kirsty, however, won their first two games but unfortunately lost to a pair that progressed to the semi finals.
Later that afternoon was the singles. I was seeded 8-16. My first game was against a Finish girl which I won and was then up against a Danish girl. It was a harder game than the first but I managed to win it 21-18 in the 3 rd set. I then got a little rest where I caught up with some of my English friends and then I was to play Sophie Desheemaeker of Belgium, who I had trained with during the summer. With good coaching I won in two sets and then faced the 2 nd seed, Josephine van Zaane in the quarter finals. Going into the match, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did. Losing the first set 21-12 wasn’t too bad because I knew I had won a few good points. I was more determined in the 2 nd set however; I was up 20-19 but just couldn’t get the last point and so lost 22-20. I was annoyed but I know that I wasn’t far off and next time I’ll go in with more confidence and determination.
The doubles took place on the Saturday as well. Kirsty and I weren’t seeded but were hopeful that we could put in good performance, which we didn’t in the first match as we just pulled through in 3 sets. Next game was against Lauren Bromely and Emily Westwood of England, who won this year's quadrangular. We played awesomely and won, comfortably in two sets. This was a great win for us and we were now in the quarter finals against Jensen and Demant of Denmark. It was a tough game but we got through it and reached the semi finals, which took place the next day.
We got back to the hotel late that night, at about 10:45 p.m. I went straight to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!
The next day was the same morning routine as the previous day. Arriving at Balleruphallen spirits were high but we were up against the top Danish pair and the first seeds. After a disappointing performance we lost rather easily 21-9, 21-6.
We had a spare evening then so we decided to go to Tivoli Gardens. As Bruce and Craig were big wimps, they didn't go on any rides but Lewis, Kirsty and I had a great time jumping on and off all the rides in the park.
Prior to our flights home on the Monday we visited Farum Badminton Club for a training session. The club was impressive and had 10 courts. This was organised through Alun Biggart who originally hails from Kilmacolm but has lived in Denmark for over ten years.
All aspects of our trip to Denmark were great, the standard of players, the company and the over-all organisation. On behalf of the players involved I would like to thank BADMINTONscotland and Glasgow School of Sport for their support for this event.
International Call up for Steven Stewart
Steven Stewart has had a late call up to the Under 17 European Championships to be held in Turkey later this month (October 2007). Kaity Hall, Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn will also travel to this event which is to be held in Istanbul from 24 – 28 October 2007. Steven has showed promise in recent months with a good performance at the UK School Games and also in winning the boys’ doubles title at the Glasgow Open Under 17.
During the event results can be found at www.eurobadminton.org
Round Up: Bank of Scotland National Championships Under 15 on 6 - 7 October 2007
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Glasgow School of Sport Winners at the Bank of Scotland National Championships 2007 |
Kirsty Wins 3 National Titles
Kirsty McGlynn won 3 Titles at the Bank of Scotland National Championships Under 15 event held at Meadowbank Sports Centre on 6 - 7 October 2007. Although Kirsty was seeded number two in the girls’ singles, a tough semi final match with Emma Gallacher of Lanarkshire showed she had a fighting spirit to win through 24-22 in the final set. Kirsty Gilmour, the defending champion, won her semi final to set up an all School of Sport final. Both girls worked well and played some quality badminton. Kirsty McGlynn won the first set 21-16 and Kirsty Gilmour responded with a close 21-19 in the second. In true fighting spirit the final match was won on a tie break 22-20 and gave Kirsty McGlynn her first title of the day.
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Kirsty McGlynn - Winner of 3 titles at the Bank of Scotland National Championships Under 15 event 2007 |
In the Girls’ Doubles both Kirsty’s teamed up to retain the title they won last year. They won a hard fought match with new S3 student Emma Cook and singles semi finalist Emma Gallacher. This match was again played to a very high standard as Emma and Emma went down fighting 18-21, 21-17 and 19-21.
A special mention must go to Emma Cook who has been injured most of the summer and recently suffered a mystery sight problem which left her in hospital just 2 weeks before the event. Emma arrived back at training and has worked well leading up to the tournament and given the short period of time, this has paid off.
Finally Kirsty McGlynn partnered School of Sport player Gregor McVean and completed a hat-trick of titles with a closely contested final, which was an entertaining and exciting match against Kirsty Gilmour and Singles winner Mathew Carder from Edinburgh. Kirsty and Gregor played the more consistent game and came out on top with a score line of 21-17, 15-21 and 21-15.
The proverbial icing on the cake for Kirsty McGlynn came when she received the Moira Skene Award for Most Meritorious Performance at the Championships. Kirsty was the only player in both age groups to win 3 titles.
Gregor McVean Strikes Back
Gregor McVean of S3 had an outstanding “Nationals” as he beat the 3rd seed Peter Walker in the first round of the singles. He then went on to reach the semi finals before losing to Lewis Gallacher of Kilmarnock in a tough 3 set match. Gregor went from strength to strength as he won the Boys’ Doubles Title with partner Mathew Carder with a win over Lewis Gallacher and Peter Walker of Dundee.
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Gregor McVean - Singles Semi-Finalist and Boys’ Doubles Title Winner |
In the mixed doubles Gregor and 2 times winner Kirsty McGlynn showed their promise as doubles players when they won the title over Kirsty Gilmour and Mathew Carder in an exciting final which ended the day’s matches.
First Title for Lisa
Lisa McMullen gained reward for many years of hard work and dedication as she won the Under 19 Girls’ Singles. Lisa has had many close encounters at the Nationals and had never managed to win a title. Lisa’s opponent in the final was Alison Marr who is now studying at Bath University. The match started off with both girls a little nervous with many mistakes as a result. Alison won the first set 21-17 with Lisa fighting back to win the second and third sets 21-13, 21-13 and eventually her first National Title.
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Lisa McMullen - Under 19 Girls’ Singles Winner |
Lisa has come a long way as she started off in S1 as a beginner who enjoyed the sport. As time went on Lisa’s work rate, enthusiasm and love of badminton has led her to gain National Team representation and become a National Singles winner.
Lisa joined Gillian Sloan of Glasgow and lost out in the final of the Girls’ Doubles to Alison Marr and Catriona Lowlor of Cumbernauld. Lisa and Gillian had chances to win the match however Alison and Catriona ran out winners in 3 sets.
Finally…
Overall the Championships were very successful from a School of Sport perspective. A total of 24 out of the 27 players participated and as well as the winners and runners up there were some great individual performances.
Danny Leinster worked very hard and had a 3 set match with Peter Hockey. Steven Stewart managed to take a set from singles winner Keiran Merilleess and Steven Byers lost out to Martin Campbell. In the girls side Rebekka Findlay fought through to reach the quarter finals and had a tough match with Kirsty McGlynn.
BADMINTONscotland ran an excellent event and all School of Sport players enjoyed playing at the nationals. This event is an opportunity for juniors to sample the pressures of competition as they aspire to play at International level. For the players it is time to work hard again and strive to improve all areas of their games before competing domestically and abroad.
Results can be found at www.badmintonscotland.org.uk
September 2007
29-30 September 2007
Vaestra Frolunde - Under 13 & Under 15 Tournament
Gothenburg, Sweden
On Friday, 28 of September 2007, a group of our players from City of Glasgow Satellite Badminton Club and Glasgow School of Sport left to go to the Vaestra Frolunde Tournament in Gothenburg.
The Under 15 players were Caitlin, Lauren, Louise, Rebekka, Robyn, Victoria, Ben, Calvin and Gregor and the Under 13 players were Adam, Jordan and Josh. Our coach was Iain Pringle from the School of Sport and Rosalind Hall accompanied us from the Satellite Squad.
We stayed in the “four star” Nova Hotel in the centre of Gothenburg overlooking the river. The hotel was very nice and we ate most of our meals there.
On the first day of the tournament everyone played very well, and there were some very close matches, but only a few players reached the later stages of the competition on the second day. The best results were Josh reaching the final of the Under 13 boys’ singles and Adam and Jordan reached the doubles final. Unfortunately, despite playing really well they lost in the final. Robyn and Caitlin also played well in the Under 15 girls’ doubles, winning their pool but losing in the semi finals.
Everyone had a fantastic time, playing against people from many areas and gaining lots of experience. In between games, we all gave support to our players who were on court. Everyone behaved well and hopefully gave our club, the School and Scotland a good name! All the players would like to thank the Satellite Squad committee, Glasgow School of Sport and their parents for making the trip possible. We’re looking forward to next year already!
Report by Rebekka Findlay (S3 - Glasgow School of Sport)
27 September 2007
Yorkshire Junior Under 19
Lisa McMullen was a surprise Mixed Doubles finalist at this Under 19 event. Lisa had not entered the “mixed” and replaced Elidh Ballantyne after an injury ruled Elidh out. Steven Doolan of Troon asked Lisa at short notice and no doubt the relaxed and no pressure approach helped them through.
In the quarter final Lisa and Steven managed a win over current National Under 17 Champions Martin Campbell and Catriona Lawlor. They then went on to defeat Ben Stawski and Lauren Smith of England before losing in the final to Peter Hockey and Alison Marr.
There were many encouraging performances and a chance for players to compete against the top players in England. Kaity Hall paired up with Gillian Sloan to reach the semi finals of the Girls’ Doubles. They lost to Fontaine Chapman and Kate Robertshaw who are regulars in the English Junior Teams.
Results can be found on www.yorkshirebadminton.co.uk
Girls Head to Turkey for European Under 17 Championships
Kaity Hall of S6, Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn, both S3, have been selected to represent Scotland in the Under 17 European Championships which are to be held in Istanbul from 24-28 October 2007. Kaity is an Under 17 player and both Kirsty’s are showing great potential as they are still at the Under 15 age group. A full report will follow and we wish them success at the event.
Further information can be found on www.eurobadminton.org
18 September 2007
Ineos Midland Under 15
Glasgow School of Sport players attended the event held at Grangemouth Sports Centre. Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn contested the Girls’ Singles final in an exciting match. Kirsty Gilmour won in 2 sets however the match was affected a little by the extreme speed of the shuttles. Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn paired up to win the doubles event beating Anna Kay and Shereen Spittal from Ayrshire.
Other improved performances came from Robyn Glen, Rebekka Findlay and Natalie Mathers who all played well in the tournament.
On the boys side Gregor McVean paired up with long term partner Mathew Carder from Edinburgh. The boys had an epic 3 set battle with Lewis Gallacher and Peter Walker. In the end Gregor and Mathew won the match, which could prove to lead to a rematch in the Bank of Scotland Junior National Championships in early October 2007.
10 September 2007
Rebekka Wins Midlothian Under 14 Open Junior
Rebekka Findlay performed well after losing an initial group match to last season's Under 13 National Doubles Champion Hannah Laing. Rebekka eventually won her semi final against top seeded Caitlin Gilmour which then set up a final match against Heather Campbell. Rebekka showed great fighting spirit to win 21-20, 21-13.
In Boys Singles Ben Torrance fought through to the semi finals before losing out to eventual winner Stewart Ferns 21-10, 21-16. Ben partnered Alastair Hastings and reached the final where they lost out to Stewart Ferns and Darren Love both from Highland Badminton Group.
Adam Hall Reaches 3 finals at Milton Keynes
Adam Hall travelled with Josh Neil, Jordan Gilvear and Ayrshire’s James Milton to one of England’s top Under 13 events, BE Gold which was held at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes. School of Sport Coach Lena Robertson supported some great performances from the players. Adam who is still an Under 12 player reached 3 finals, winning the Boys’ Doubles with Jordan Gilvear. Adam and Jordan won a great match against James Josh and James Milton, a reversal of the result at last week’s Glasgow Junior.
In addition to this Adam lost in the singles final to Alex Lane and also in the mixed final with partner Natalie Chan Lam. This is an outstanding achievement and a good start to the season for all four boys. Most of England’s top players were present, which highlights the strength and potential of the Scottish Under 13 Boys.
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| Natalie Chan Lam and Adam Hall at the National Badminton Centre, Milton Keynes |
Kirsty strikes Gold with Welsh Partner
Kirsty McGlynn won the Girls Doubles Title at BE Gold at Kent over weekend of 8-9 September 2007. Kirsty played her first event with Welsh player Sophie Ttophi and beat Fernando and Jeffs of Buckinghamshire in the final. In the singles Kirsty lost out in the semi finals to Sophie Sankey 22-20 in the third game.
Badminton England Gold events are held during the season and will attract most of England’s top juniors. Through Kirsty’s involvement in BADMINTONscotland’s High Performance Squad and the School of Sport she will travel to many of these events this season to compete at Under 15 and Under 17.
Results can be found at www.badmintonengland.co.uk
2 September 2007
Five Titles at Glasgow Junior Championships
Glasgow School of Sport was well represented at the Glasgow Junior Championships held at the Cockburn Centre, Glasgow on 2 September 2007. In the under 13 event, Josh Neil won a close match with Adam Hall in the first semi final, while Jordan Gilvear beat Kris Hawkins of Motherwell to progress to the final. In a very good match Josh won in 2 sets.
All three boys were in the final of the Doubles event, this time with Josh pairing up with James Milton of Mauchline and Adam and Jordan their challengers. The match was a 3 setter and played to a very high standard. Adam and Josh were up in the mid part of the third game however Josh and James Milton eventually won the title in 3 sets.
Steven Stewart won his first Open event in the Under 17 age group as he paired with Michael Campbell of Edinburgh to win the Boys Doubles beating top seeds Andrew Gilliland and Gary Gibson.
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Steven Stewart and Kaity Hall |
Under 13 Boys' Doubles Finalists |
Kaity Hall continued to shine in the Girls Doubles event and won the title with partner Kirsten Geals.
Kirsty Gilmour won the Girls Singles event at Under 17. This is an excellent achievement as Kirsty is still an Under 15 player. Kirsty beat Kirsten Geals of Mauchline in the final.
Overall a great start to the season for School of Sport players and reward for a very hard summer of training.
August 2007
Bronze for Kirsty in Reykjavik
School of Sport S3 pupil Kirsty Gilmour won a Bronze Medal at the 41st International Children’s Games, held in June 2007. Kirsty was representing South Lanarkshire in this unique event. Unlike other badminton tournaments the International Children’s Games is a multi sports event and included an Olympic style opening and closing ceremony. Hopefully Kirsty now has a taste for success and will continue to come of age for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which hopefully will come to Glasgow!
Links to Belgium continue
Since former High Performance Badminton Coach Alan McIlvain (pictured below) moved to Belgium, the School of Sport has had two exchanges with the Belgian Badminton Association. In August 2007, Alan hosted four of the senior players, namely Kenny Young, Kyle Longmuir, Kaity Hall and Lisa McMullen. The players attended and organised the trip themselves and trained alongside the Belgian National Players in Antwerp.
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Alan McIlvain |
Lena Roberston |
In addition, Lena Robertson (pictured above) travelled to an International Camp in Edegem, Belgium with Kirsty Gilmour, Kirsty McGlynn, Steven Stewart and Danny Leinster. The trip was arranged in partnership with Top Sport, which is the sports school for Belgium. Glasgow School of Sport pupils had the opportunity to train alongside some of the top players in Belgium for five days. The players also had the benefit of receiving coaching from Jacob Hoi, Danish Under 19 Junior Coach. The School of Sport would like to thank Adrienne McGlynn, Kirsty’s mother, for her support in the organisation of travel to this event.
Langenfeld Cup
Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn both travelled to the Langenfeld Junior event in Germany over the weekend of 24 – 26 August 2007. Both girls won through their groups with wins against players from Denmark, Germany and Holland. Kirsty McGlynn lost out to Sofie Deschaemaecker from Belgium in Round 32 while Kirsty Gilmour lost in the last 16 to De Visch from Holland.
In the doubles events Kirsty Gilmour paired up with England’s Josi Latimer and lost to a Dutch couple in Round 2. Kirsty McGlynn was paired up with Under 17 player Gillian Sloan. The girls won their first game and lost out to a German pair in the last 16.
This event is the first taste of International events this season. The next challenge abroad will come in Copenhagen, Denmark in October 2007.
A full list of results can be found at http://www.fc-langenfeld.de
UK School Games
Steven Stewart and Kaity Hall (pictured below) both represented Scotland at the UK School Games in Coventry over the weekend of 23-26 August 2007. Kaity played Girls Doubles against Ireland and Wales to help the team to a 3-2 victory in both matches. In the final match against England Kaity and partner Kirsten Geals were beaten in the third set 21-18 after a very tough match. Scotland eventually lost 5-0 to England and were awarded a silver medal.
In the Individual events Kaity also won a medal, this time in Girls Doubles. A nail biting match saw the English shuttlers win 17-21, 21-12 and 19-21 in the semi finals.
Steven Stewart was on International duty for the first time and competed in the Individual Event for Scotland. Steven was drawn against Philip Aspinall from England. The match was possibly Steven’s best performance to date although he went down fighting 15-21, 21-17 and 21-9, however after a good summer training Steven is now ready to compete more often at a higher level.
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| Kaity Hall and Steven Stewart just back from the UK School Games | Badminton Coach Gordon Thomson |
All results can be found at http://www.ukschoolgames.com
July 2007
Gordon Thomson joins Badminton Coaching Team
Scottish Internationalist and National Singles Champion Gordon Thomson (pictured above) will once again join the Coaching Team at the Glasgow School of Sport. Gordon worked part time at the School previously and will now work on a 12 hour per week rota.
Gordon is still playing international events and competed in the Sudirman Cup in June 2007. The flexibility of this part time post will allow Gordon to compete at international level while working at the School of Sport.
Goodbye Rita!
Glasgow School of Sport would like to wish Rita Yuan Gao much success as she leaves the School to start a new position with the Scottish Institute of Sport. Rita will work with Scottish Institute players and will continue to work with Kirsty Gilmour, Kirsty McGlynn and new member of JHPS Calvin Percival on a weekly basis.
Rita will be missed by players and staff at the school and we wish her great success in her new job.
June 2007
New Players to Join Glasgow School of Sport
Emma Cook has joined the badminton programme as an S3 student and will travel from Mauchline, Ayrshire on a daily basis to train at Bellahouston Academy. Emma is currently in BADMINTONscotland’s National Squad and will compete as an under 15 player in the coming season.
After the summer break Adam Hall and Josh Neill will also join the School of Sport as S1 students. Adam is currently National Under 13 Mixed Champion and is still an Under 12 Player. This season Adam has also won Under 11 National Singles and Doubles titles. Josh Neill will join as current Primary Schools Singles Champion and National Under 13 Doubles Champion, a title he won with partner Ben Torrance who is also a School of Sport student.
Callum Riddell and Callum Stevenson will also start as S1 students in August. Callum Riddell is aged 12 and already ranked 28 in the under 13 rankings. Callum Stevenson has less experience and is relatively new to the game; however both boys have shown potential and will be a great addition to the programme. Callum Stevenson has come through the Talent Squad system set up in Glasgow comes from Mosspark Primary School which is a feeder school to Bellahouston Academy.
Calvin Percival joins BADMINTONscotland JHPS
Congratulations to S1 student Calvin Percival who has recently been invited to join the Junior High Performance Squad, which is for athletes who show medal winning potential. This invite means Calvin is now a member of the West of Scotland Institute of Sport. Calvin has worked hard over his first year at the School of Sport and finished the year as National under 13 Singles Champion.
Calvin will join Kirsty McGlynn and Kirsty Gilmour who are already part of the Junior High Performance Squad and will receive coaching from Head Coach Diana Koleva.
Sudirman Cup 2007
School of Sport players from S1 - S6 enjoyed the world class badminton on show at Scotstoun Leisure Centre during 11 -17 June 2007. It was even more exciting for them as School of Sport coach Rita Yuan Gao competed for Scotland in this event. Rita had a great win against world number 29 Anu Niemeinen in ladies singles and showed all students how to compete on the world stage. Scotland finished the event with a 3 – 0 win over USA.
2007 BWF World Coaches Conference
On 14 and 15 June 2007 BADMINTONscotland organised the World Coaches Conference in conjunction with the Sudirman Cup. Craig Robertson, Iain Pringle and Lena Robertson all 
attended the conference which had presentations from some of the worlds leading coaches, organisers and sports scientists.
At the conference Morten Frost, one of the Worlds Leading Coaches from Denmark was presenting a practical session on both days. School of Sport Student Kenny Young was invited to attend and demonstrate many of the drills and practices under Morten’s instruction. The conference was very worthwhile for all School of Sport Coaches and also a great experience for Kenny to be coached by one of the Worlds most respected coaches.
May 2007
Yorkshire Under 14 Team and Individual 5 – 6 May 2007
A West of Scotland Team made up of players from Ayrshire and Renfrewshire competed at the Yorkshire Event held in York Railway Institute. Kirsty McGlynn, Robyn Glen, Emma Cook, Calvin Percival, Ben Torrance, Gregor McVean and Josh Neill were representing Glasgow School of Sport and played a major role in winning the Team Event.
Overall the trip was a success with players playing an individual event on the Saturday and team event on the Sunday. These types of events allow our players to get many games against new and different opponents. Thanks must go to Jon Doran for organising the team and to the parents who supported on the day.
Tournament Report
British Quadrangular Event Under 15s 27 – 29 April 2007
S2 students Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn competed at this event in late April at England’s 
National Badminton Centre, Milton Keynes. As part of the Scottish team both girls played a major role in the matches during the team event. England eventually won the event with a comprehensive win over Scotland.
School of Sport High Performance Coach Craig Robertson was also part of the coaching team for this event and worked with Karen Stalker. Overall Scotland had some great performances and this led to Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn sharing the Award for the best Scottish performance. The award is in memory of Mrs. Edna Gibb who was former president of the Scottish Schools Badminton Union and recognises best performance by a Scottish player at the event.
Full Results
Scotland 8-2 Ireland
England 9-1 Wales
Scotland 8-2 Wales
England 9-1 Ireland
Wales 4-6 Ireland
Scotland 2-8 England
1st: England; 2nd: Scotland; 3rd: Ireland; 4th: Wales.
April 2007
Tournament Report
Event: BOS National Junior Championships Under 13/17/23
Venue: Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh
Glasgow School of Sport players excelled in this prestigious event held over 14 and 15 April 2007. Under 13 boys singles event saw Calvin Percival win the title 21/18 21/17 after coming through a tough match with Jordan Gilvear, who is still an under 12 player. Calvin managed to beat Adam Hall in the semi finals and then teamed up with Adam to reach the boys doubles final against Josh Neill and Ben Torrance. After a hard fought match Josh and Ben won the title 21/17 21/15. Staying with the under 13s, Adam Hall and Caitlin Gilmour from Troon won the title beating Josh Neill and Heather Campbell 21/16 24/22 in the final.
Another notable performance came from Rebecca Findlay who reached the girls singles and doubles semi finals. Rebecca played well before losing out to eventual winner.
Glasgow School of Sport is well represented at this age group as Calvin and Ben are already S1 and Josh and Adam are joining the school in August of this year.
In the under 17 event Lisa McMullen was runner up in the Girls Singles event, losing out to Catriona Lawlor 21/15 21/18. Lisa also reached the semi finals of the Girls Doubles with partner Elidh Ballantyne who is a member of City of Glasgow Satellite Squad .
As this event also featured Under 23 players it was a great opportunity for our young players to see some of the country’s top players in action. Glasgow School of Sport Coach and National Men’s Singles Champion Gordon Thomson won the Singles event and was runner up in the Men’s doubles with Satellite Squad Coach Greg Anderson, who went on to win the Mixed Doubles Title.
Report by Craig Robertson
Tournament Report
Event: Aros Cup Under 13/15/17/19 Date: 5 th – 8 th April 2007
Venue: Aarhus, Denmark
The Glasgow Satellite Squad, in partnership with Glasgow School of Sport and BadmintonScotland, selected a range of players from the squad to compete in the Aros Cup at Under 19, Under 17, Under 15 and Under 13 age groups.
The experience for the players involved was first class and the event provided them all with an insight on what it is like to compete at a top European event. I am sure that the experience will have motivated the players involved, to strive for making the necessary changes to their game to move them onto the next level. Attention to quality warm up and cool down, eating and drinking correctly and being able to maintain higher levels of concentration for longer periods of time, will all have a massive impact upon the players development.
Listed below is a selection of results from the various age groups:
U19 Mixed Doubles Winner Kenny Young
U19 Boys Doubles Runners up Kenny Young & Kyle Longmuir
U17 Boys Doubles 3 rd Round Steven Doolan & Steven Kirwan, Greg McClure
U17 Boys Singles Last 32 Steven Kirwan
U17 Girls Singles Last 32 Kirsten Geals
U15 Girls Singles Last 16 Kirsty Gilmour
U15 Girls Singles Last 32 Kirsty McGlynn
U15 Mixed Doubles 2 nd Round Bruce Doran & Kirsty McGlynn
U13 Girls Singles Last 32 Rebekka Findlay
U13 Boys Singles Last 32 Adam Hall
U13 Boys Singles Last 16 Josh Neill
U13 Girls Doubles 2 nd Round Rebekka Findlay & Heather Campbell
Report by Lena Robertson
National U15 Team Selection
Kirsty Gilmour and Kirsty McGlynn have been selected to represent Scotland at Under 15 Level at the Quadrangular Event to be held at England ’s National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes this April.
They will travel as part of a 10 strong team with Coaches Craig Robertson and Karen Stalker. The event will primarily be a team event followed by an individual event where they will both play singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Achievements
Scottish National Junior Champions
Season |
Name |
Event |
Age Group |
2006-07 |
Calvin Percival |
Boys Singles |
Under 13 |
2006-07 |
Ben Torrance & Josh Neill |
Boys Doubles |
Under 13 |
2006-07 |
Adam Hall |
Mixed Doubles |
Under 13 |
National Team Representatives
Kirsty McGlynn |
2006/7 |
Kirsty Gilmour |
2007 |
March 2007
School of Sport Shuttlers Shine at Perth
Glasgow School of Sport players picked up 11 of the 15 titles on offer at the recent Scottish Schools Championships held at Bells Sports Centre, Perth on 17th March 2007. The event is for players of under 14, under 16 and under 19 ages.
In comparison to the previous year, where School of Sport pupils won 3 events, this year was a rewarding time for the players and an opportunity to compete with players from all over the country.
McPhail Heads to European Juniors
Sixth year sports pupil Stephen McPhail will compete as part of the Scottish Badminton Team at this year's European Junior Championships. The event is held every two years and will take place in Saarbrucken, Germany from 31st March - 8th April 2007.
