New champions will emerge when the island’s best junior badminton players do battle from 10 a.m. today in the finals of the 2013 Dacosta Mannings National Junior Badminton Championships at the Barbados Community College.
The most anticipated matchup is for the Under-19 Boys’ singles title, where D’Andre Thorpe will clash with Sabeel Foster. Much mystery surrounds this match as the tall, imposing Thorpe and diminutive Foster have not met each other recently in competition, so it is difficult to call a winner.
Thorpe has had a relatively easy road to the final, having dismissed his last opponent, while Foster’s semi-final went down to the wire, with Foster upsetting his long-time doubles partner Cory Fanus.
The eventual winner will have the opportunity to double up in the doubles final, where Thorpe will partner with Derion Hurley and Foster with Fanus.
By the end of the day, Shae Martin could be the most decorated winner. Having already won the Under-17 singles, title he will seek to also become the Under-15 singles champion when he faces off against the dynamic Jehu Gaskin.
Martin will partner with Gaskin in the final of the doubles competition against Kodie King and Khamal Scantlebury.
He will have a another chance in the round robin mixed doubles with partner Amanda Haywood, who could win her third title, as she would have already secured the Under-15 and Under-17 singles titles.
Martin and Haywood are the current silver medallists in the Caribbean region and start as the heavy favourites over the other pairs of Jaleel Arthur and Onika Moe and Joseph Tseu and Gabrielle Croney.
A family affair will see Keenan Scantlebury play his brother Dominick for the Under-11 crown. Both brothers topped their respective zones to advance to the final and will later team up to play against Harrison Griffith and Aiden Woodvine.
The last doubles matchup will see the teams of Joshua Archer and Shomari Smith versus Aren Cupples and Johnathan Gardiner in the Under 13 Boys’ title game.
Immediately after the conclusion of the championships, national junior coach Shakeira Waithe will begin preparation for the 2013 CAREBACO Championships to be held in Puerto Rico in the first week of September. (PR/SAT)
Matchups:
Singles
Under-11 Boys: Keenan Scantlebury vs Dominick Scantlebury
Under-15 Boys: Shae Martin vs Jehu Gaskin
Under-19 Boys: Sabeel Foster vs D’Andre Thorpe
Doubles
Under-11 Boys: Keenan Scantlebury/ Dominick Scantlebury vs Harrison Griffith/Aiden Woodvine
Under-13 Boys: Joshua Archer/Shomari Smith vs Aren Cupples/ Johnathan Gardiner
Under-15 Boys: Jehu Gaskin/Shae Martin vs Kodie King/Khamal Scantlebury
Under-17 Mixed: (Round Robin)
Jaleel Arthur/Onika Moe
Joseph Tseu/Gabrielle Croney
Shae Martin/Amanda Haywood
Under-19 Boys: D’Andre Thorpe/Derion Hurley vs Sabeel Foster/Cory Fanus
