to play at a high level at university and beyond, including Felix Wright, who became the U19 Men’s Singles National Champion in November. U14 AARAV KACHAWAHA (YEAR 9) The U14 team this year resembles the strung-together feathers of a shuttlecock: a collection of agile players working together and, despite getting smashed once or twice, always having their spirits lifted for the next game. The team is dynamic, comprising strong and athletic players, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Through getting involved in more training sessions and improving gameplay, the team aims not only to conquer local opponents but also to challenge the older players at the College. The season started off strongly with a 5–1 win against Chestnut Grove Academy. Olivier Badzioch played wonderfully, showing off a powerful smash which the opposition could not cope with. After a long break, we had a game against Wilson’s at home. We suffered a heavy loss, but the squad showed great sportsmanship and persistence, giving the opposition a run for their money. Joshua Osoba and I formed a strong partnership, with me winning my singles comfortably and both of
us working well as a pair. Next was a tournament at Wilson’s, which was a great way to see where we stood amongst the other schools in South London. Wilson’s and Trinity were tough, but against all the other teams, we showed that we are a team that should not be taken lightly. Tomas Gallegillo played some great games in the tournament, helping the team beat Whitgift with relative ease. The final time we played this year was in a friendly tournament against Trinity at the College. Despite losing to them at Wilson’s only a few weeks previously, we showed how hard we had trained over the intervening weeks, winning a lot of matches, despite missing some key players. Kwame Appau Twumasi had a great debut and played some good badminton with Tomas, both exhibiting their great reflexes and defence. As we gear up for next season, we understand that our journey has not just been about victories, but also about creating long-lasting memories and building character on and off the court. U16 BRIAN NG (YEAR 11) Full of victories and closely contested matches, this year has been a major success for the U16 team. At the start of the season, we emerged victorious with two 6–0 wins against the Rutlish School and Arts & Media School Islington in the School Sport Magazine National Schools Cup. We also performed very strongly at the next tour- nament, held at KCS, beating all the other schools and achieving equally good results in both the singles and doubles, with a particularly strong performance from Dorian Todd-Miller. Also of note throughout the year were the impressive performances from Aarav Kachawa- ha, particularly given that he was sometimes competing against players two years older than him. Despite our valiant winning streak we faced a formidable challenge in the next round against Wilson’s. Even with an excellent effort from all our members we ultimately fell short and were beaten, placing us second in the county level of the Badminton England tournament. Dorian and I look forward to building on this year’s successes as we move into the Upper School next year.
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