Chronicle January 2021

53 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Badminton By Michael Bunch After successfully establishing itself as a sports option the previous year, an eager group of Upper Sixth pupils, led by Mike Yao and Alex Herrtage returned in September 2019 determined to develop the Badminton Club further. A busy fixture card featuring matches against Bradfield, MCS, Stowe, Radley, Oratory, Bloxham, Oxford High and Rugby was put together and training began in earnest. The mixed team got off to a flying start, with victory against Bradfield in the opening match of the season. Particularly pleasing was the display of Teddies pupils both on and off the court. Welcoming the opposition, thanking the opposition after each game regardless of the score and hosting wonderfully after the match. By the end of the season their approach had become noted by all other Schools and it was no surprise that return fixtures for the following year were requested. Matches later in the term proved a sterner test, with our pupils finding themselves up against established opposition who made their experience count. By the end of the Autumn Term 2019 however three

A promising future was also visible, with Wilson Lian and Justin Liu emerging as key players for both the boys’ and mixed team despite still being in the Lower School. The Spring Term saw repeat fixtures against Bradfield, MCS, Radley and Stowe. Whilst victory still escaped the team on many occasions, clear improvements, both collectively and individually, were evident to see. Many of the fixtures went to the final round of matches and victory against Radley was well deserved for all the teams’ efforts. The Spring Term also saw the introduction of the Senior House Badminton Competition. Over 50 pupils took part in the competition, with House loyalty and pride clearly on show. In the boys’ competition, Kendall, Cowell’s and Segar’s put on strong showings, but were no match for Apsley, who powered their way to victory led by Mike Yao and Can Morand. In the girls’ competition, Houses were far more evenly matched. In the final, Jubilee and Avenue matched each other game for game, with the scores level going into the final round. Victory was finally achieved by the narrowest of margins, with a 1 point advantage confirming Avenue as the inaugural champions.

There were some standout players within this XI including Fifth Former George Knee who was the top scorer in the Club. Oli Healy took the role as captain and lead the unit with great integrity and enthusiasm. 3rd/4th XI Both the 3rd and the 4th XI managed to get seven games into the season before the coronavirus outbreak, both achieving fantastic stats of played seven, won four and lost three. The season started very well for the 3rd XI with a winning streak of four fixtures. The 4th XI, led by Mr Powell and Mr Scates, lost only to the Oratory and Radley. As ever with 3rd and 4th XI football, there was fantastic team camaraderie and the enjoyment levels were incredibly high. As the Club moves forward, we will continue to strive for results but, most importantly, we will always look to develop the character of our players.

teams (boys, girls and mixed) had all taken part in fixtures, with the boys’ team achieving victory over MCS. Throughout the term it was wonderful to watch the understanding between pairings develop. Can Morand partnership in their games, working in tandem across the court, whilst Emma Wrigley and Murphy Wang also went from strength to strength. and Neha Kurup established a real

Lizzie Williams, Murphy Wang, Neha Kurup, Mike Yao, Rauf Sharifov, Alex Herrtage, Can Morand and Emma Wrigley