Badminton: Cadet/Junior Championship-Course siblings dominant |20 November 2006

In Saturday’s finals of the Cadet/Junior Championship played at the La Promenade Gymnasium and organised by the Seychelles Badminton Association (SBA), Richie and Cynthia were crowned singles and doubles champions.

Richie, 13 and boasting three years experience, dominated 14-year-old Kevin Ghislain 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) in the lively boys’ junior final which was punctuated by long and interesting rallies.

“It wasn’t an easy match and I’m happy I won,” Richie told Sports Nation.

Against the taller and more-experienced Danielle Jupiter who has represented Seychelles in a number of international competitions like the Indian Ocean Islands Games and the All-African Junior Badminton Championship, Cynthia played her cards right.

Unable to sustain her five-point lead (8-3), allowing left-handed Jupiter to score eight consecutive points to lead 11-8 and then win the first set 21-15, Cynthia went into her bag of tricks in the second set. She won it 21-12 and then bagged the third and decisive set 21-11.

“I committed too many unforced errors in the opening set, but in the second and third sets I capitalised on her (Jupiter’s) weaknesses and won,” said 16-year-old Cynthia.
 
Both Cynthia and Jupiter are students at the Belonie Secondary School.
Watched in action by their father, Cynthia and diminutive Richie joined forces in the cadet/junior mixed doubles final – the seventh and last of the day – and they won 2-0 (22-20, 21-19) against the pair of Jupiter and Ghislain.

Richie was without doubt the male player of the day as he teamed up with Angelo Larue to win the cadet/junior boys’ doubles 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) against Ghislain and Laure.

For many of the younger finalists, it was their first appearance in a final and experiencing either the winning or losing feeling brought different reactions.

Cadet boys’ singles winner Leroy Laure, the brother of former player Michael Laure, joked with Kevin Dailoo, 12, after his easy 2-0 (21-9, 21-6) victory.

“At first I was a bit afraid to play as this was my first final. Then I settled down in the game and made things look easy,” 13-year-old Laure told Sports Nation.
Encouraged by her father Jean Larue, Alexina Larue, 12, looked like losing to the younger Mary Ella Raoul in the cadet girls’ final, but staged a remarkable comeback when trailing by eight points to equalise at 19-19 and then win the first set 22-20.
Larue then upped the tempo to close the second set 21-8 and the match on a 2-0 score.
While Larue took a little while to let the new-found success sink in, Raoul burst out in tears and she had to be consoled by her mother.
Speaking to Sports Nation, Larue said: “I’m happy to be a winner.”
The cadet girls’ doubles was won by the pair of Patricia Course and Chlorie Cadeau, the younger sister of Juliette Ah-Wan. They beat the duo of Alexina Larue and Nickella Raoul 2-0 (21-14, 21-16).
The winners, runners-up and third place finishers received cash prizes, rackets and skipping ropes.

G. G.