Wood, Padmore shine at Nationals

KEVIN WOOD and André Padmore were double winners on Monday, the first night of the 2010 Senior National Badminton Championships at the Wildey Gymnasium.Wood, who was recently elected president of the Barbados Badminton Association, overcame a slow start to beat Kelvin Mallett Jr. 21-9, 21-18, while Padmore needed three sets, 11-21, 21-11, 21-16, to get over Andrew Clarke.Capitalising on Wood’s sluggish movement and racquet speed, Under-19 triple champion Mallet Jr was able to get the upper hand by building an offensive base and pressuring Wood in backcourt. Wood then pulled on years of experience and employed a high service which caused some problems for Mallett. He then dominated the net for the remainder of the tie with good control pushes, kills and the occasional deceptive flick.Padmore was pushed hard early in the competition by Clarke  who took the defending champion the full distance of three games. Clarke won the first by using  a flat and fast game, attacking the trams with practised accuracy. However, Padmore stayed calm under the pressure and relied on his stroke consistency and movement.  In the end, fitness became  an issue for Clarke and unforced errors played their part.Wood and Padmore, the defending champions, then teamed up in the men’s doubles to defeat Nicholas Reifer and Dakeil Thorpe 21-11, 21-19.In first game, Wood and Padmore made light work of their challengers by playing an extremely fast attacking game, keeping the shuttle flat and low at the net. Although they employed the same strategy into the second, unforced errors allowed Reifer and Thorpe to adjust and smash the bird. The game prematurely ended when Reifer served the shuttle into the net with the score at 19-20. (PR/SAT)Summarised scoresMen’s SinglesShem Scantlebury defeated Corey Jackman  by walk over.Kevin Wood def. Kelvin Mallett Jr 21-9, 21-18.Athelstone Forde def Finn West 21-12, 21-14.Greg Padmore def Damien Howell by walk over.André Padmore def Andrew Clarke 11-21, 21-11, 21-16.Nicholas Reifer def Jade Brown 21-10, 21-10.Ryan Holder def Julius Willoughby by walk over.Bradley Pilgrim def Corey Fanus 21-10, 21-11.Shem Scantlebury def Christopher Campbell  21-13, 21-15.Kevin Wood def Jevon Gaskin 21-7, 21-6.Sheldon Mayers-Best def Sabeel Foster  19-21, 21-15, 21-19.Dakiel Thorpe def Greg Padmore 21-11, 21-17.Curwin Cherubin def Bradley Pilgrim  15-21, 21-17, 21-19.Women’s SinglesShari Watson def Shakeira Waithe by walk over.Cheriann Fanus def Cherene Ward 21-9, 25-23.Tamisha Williams def Claudia Martindale-Campbell  21-13, 21-9.Sabrina Scott def Monyata Riviera 21-16, 21-17.Men’s DoublesKevin Wood and André Padmore def Nicholas Reifer and Dakeil Thorpe 21-11, 21-19.Athelstone Forde and Ryan Holder def Finn West  and Jevon Gaskin 21-10, 21-8.