Stadium hosts state’s young shuttle-hitters

BALLARAT welcomed one-hundred-and-forty-four of the state’s best young badminton players last weekend.

The 2021 Ballarat Junior Tournament was hosted by Ballarat Badminton and Badminton Victoria at Ken Kay Stadium on Saturday, 20 and Sunday 21 March.

Organiser Rhonda Cator said the local association was “fortunate” to secure the event for under-19, under-15, under-13 and under-11 division athletes, making a bid for state junior competitions each year.

Due to the pandemic shutdown, last weekend’s tournament was also the first since the Ballarat Open which was held exactly 52 weeks ago.

“We’ve had eight local players. The majority of junior players are from outside of Ballarat, mostly from Melbourne. As far as entries go, this is the biggest response we’ve had in recent years,” she said.

“The quality has been really high, considering most of them have been 12 months without any tournaments. From here, selectors will pick state teams, and players get points that go toward their national rankings.

“It’s been a really fantastic learning experience for our local players, with some playing their first-ever tournament. There’s been challenges with COVID, but it’s certainly been worthwhile.”

Referee Sandra David said 350 games were played across the weekend.

“The Saturday was busier, with about 190 games, and the rest were on Sunday,” she said.

“We brought umpires up from Melbourne for it, and we will be encouraging locals to get involved in refereeing, especially considering Brisbane could be hosting the Olympics in 2032.

“That’s a really exciting selling point for umpiring.”