The 2022/23 junior badminton season culminated in the Junior Nationals, held at Sport Wales National Centre on the 25th/26th March 2023. The Badminton Wales team were thrilled with the turnout, with players travelling in from each Welsh region to fight for gold.
This year’s Junior Nationals was a highly competitive and exciting event, with players from different age categories showcasing their skills and determination on the court. The tournament featured players from the Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, and Under 19 categories, and each age group brought their own unique style and level of play to the competition.
The Under 17s were the first to take to the court, and the competition was fierce from the start. The players in this age group were of an excellent level, with impressive control of the court, quick reflexes, and strong net play. The matches were closely contested, with many going to three sets. In the end it was #1 seed, Llwyd Crump, who emerged as the winner of the Boys Singles, with #2 seed Amay Patil and #3 seed Zach Morris coming in second and third respectively. Meanwhile, Isha Mekala took gold in the girls, with Bavana Balu and Miya Qixan Pan coming in silver and bronze. Brother and sister pair, Zach and Saffron Morris, then won the mixed doubles. Saffron then teamed up with Bhavana Balu to win gold in the ladies, whilst Llwyd and Amay took the boys’ doubles. We were extremely impressed with the resilience and composure of all players.
The Under 13s ran simultaneously, with the mixed doubles, boys singles and girls doubles up for grabs. The players displayed great enthusiasm and energy on the court, and it was clear that they were eager to prove themselves. After several intense matches, it was #1 seed Yashas Harsha who took home gold in the boys, defeating his opponent in straight sets in the final match. The female seed, Samara Britto, championed the girls’ singles. Harsha and Britto then combined their expertise to win the mixed doubles against Eden Harris and Sienna Harvey.
Sunday dawned with the Under 15s and Under 19s. The U15s category stepped it up a gear, with players continuing to compete in a round-robin format. In the girls, the #1 seed – Isha Mekala – returned to dominate. Isha won each match cleanly, without dropping a single game. In the boys, Jakub Kwiatkowski was similarly effective, winning every one of his games and leaving with gold. Jakub displayed great versatility on the court, effectively switching between offensive and defensive play to keep his opponents off balance. In the doubles, Mason Harvey and Nandana Suresh came for gold in the mixed, whilst Hannah Ahmad teamed up with Isha to claim the girls’. Jakub returned to the court with Devan Patel to win the boys’.
Finally, the Under 19 category brought the tournament to a close, with players working through a round-robin format. The standard of play continued to increase, with the players showing off their expertise. Having lost his first game to Llwyd Crump, Harper Leigh then came back to win the boys’ singles with a compelling 21-13, 21-16. Harper and Llwyd came together to win the boys’ doubles without dropping a game. The Morris siblings, Zach and Saffron, then won the mixed as they returned to take on Llwyd Crump and Bahavana Balu. Isha Mekala won her final gold of the event in the girls’ singles. Finally, and in an elimination round, Saffron Morris and Maisie Kite emerged as the champions of girls’ doubles.
Overall, the 2023 Junior Nationals was a great success, with all of the players showcasing exceptional sportsmanship and determination on the court. We were thrilled with the younger players’ displays great enthusiasm and energy, and the older players demonstrating the results of years of training. The tournament was a testament to junior badminton in Wales, and it was heartening to see so many talented athletes competing and striving for excellence.
The team at Badminton Wales would like to extend their warmest thanks to all of the technical officials who dedicated their time and expertise to the day. Without them, it would not have run – many thanks!
The full tournament results are available on the Tournament Software page and photos can be found on the Badminton Wales Flikr page.
Under 13s Girls Singles
1 Samara BRITTO [1]
2 Anne WINSTON
Under 13s Mixed Doubles
1 Yashas HARSHA
Samara BRITTO
2 Eden Richard HARRIS
Sienna Rachel Marie HARVEY
Under 15s Boys Singles
1 Jakub Kuba KWIATKOWSKI
2 Surya VIJAY [1]
Under 15s Girls Singles
1 Ishasriya MEKALA [1]
2 Hannah AHMAD [2]
Under 15s Boys Doubles
1 Jakub Kuba KWIATKOWSKI
Devan PATEL
2 Mason HARVEY [1]
Surya VIJAY
Under 15s Girls Doubles
1 Hannah AHMAD [1]
Ishasriya MEKALA
2 Amelie DOWNE
Nandana SURESH
Under 15s Mixed Doubles
1 Mason HARVEY
Nandana SURESH
2 Surya VIJAY [1]
Amelie DOWNE
Under 17s Boys Singles
1 Llwyd CRUMP [1]
2 Amay PATIL [2]
Under 17s Girls Singles
1 Ishasriya MEKALA [2]
2 Bhavana BALU
Under 17s Boys Doubles
1 Llwyd CRUMP [1]
Amay PATIL
2 Hector BULT
Zach MORRIS
Under 17s Girls Doubles
1 Bhavana BALU
Saffron MORRIS
2 Miya Qixuan PAN
Nethra VIJAY
Under 17s Mixed Doubles
1 Zach MORRIS
Saffron MORRIS
2 Llwyd CRUMP
Bhavana BALU
Under 19s Boys Singles
1 Harper dylan LEIGH [1]
2 Llwyd CRUMP [2]
Under 19s Girls Singles
1 Ishasriya MEKALA [2]
2 Bhavana BALU
Under 19s Girls Doubles
1 Maisie KITE
Saffron MORRIS
2 Amelie Jo CHANDRAN
Tsz Yin LEUNG
Under 19s Mixed Doubles
1 Zach MORRIS [1]
Saffron MORRIS
2 Llwyd CRUMP
[2]Bhavana BALU