MARIAMA EASTMOND and Andre Padmore were due to defend their singles titles in the finals of the 2013 Caribbean Alliance Insurance National Senior Badminton Championships at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex last night.
In semi-final action at the same venue on Saturday night, Eastmond continued her dominance when she defeated Sabrina Scott 21-14, 21-11 to advance to the first of three title opportunities.
She booked a date with 2011 champion Shari Hope who easily defeated Monyata Riviera 21-9, 21-5.
Hope was looking for some redemption after being ousted the night before in the mixed doubles division by Eastmond and her partner.
They were also teaming up to defend their women’s doubles title against Tamisha Williams and Riviera, who advanced after defeating Sabrina Scott and Amanda Haywood 21-17, 21-15.
Eastmond’s final attempt at the treble was with Dakiel Thorpe in the mixed doubles division against former champions Sabrina Scott and Kevin Wood.
Eastmond and Thorpe advanced when they comfortably defeated the young team of Amanda Haywood and Shae Martin 21-12, 21-19.
Monyata Riviera and Jade Browne nearly provided the spectators with another upset when they carried Scott and Wood to the wire in the second semi-final.
The young duo showed grit and determination and constantly pressured their opponents. Browne played some superb drives and cross court shots, but even with the crowd behind them, she and Riviera eventually conceded 21-17, 22-20.
Andre Padmore defeated Dakiel Thorpe 21-14, 21-13 in the marquee matchup of the night.
Padmore controlled the tempo of the game by slowing it down after realizing he could not match Thorpe’s fast-paced game. His strategy worked and allowed for Padmore to execute some spectacular cross court plays and force Thorpe into unforced errors.
Only first-time finalist Bradley Pilgrim stood between Padmore and his sixth successive singles title, after Pilgrim defeated Andrew Clarke 21-18, 21-15.
Pilgrim had two chances to prove himself, having also qualified for the men’s doubles final with Dakiel against Padmore and his long-time partner Kevin Wood.
Pilgrim and Thorpe cruised to an easy 21-12, 21-15 victory against Derion Hurley and D’Andre Thorpe, while Wood and Padmore faced much stiffer competition in Nicholas Reifer and Greg Padmore. (PR)
