EGBA trio in national squad for continental champs

Three Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) players were selected for the SA squad for the All Africa Men’s and Women’s Team Championships in Egypt in February.

Amy Ackerman, Deidrè Jordaan and Jarred Elliott will again be part of the team to do battle for the country at the continental showpiece in Cairo from February 12 to 15.

The trio comes with much experience, having been a part of the national team for several years.

They are part of a nine-player team selected by coach Stewart Carson to try and wrestle the championship from current holders Egypt after coming third in the last two editions of the tournament.

SA hasn’t won the team competition since 2016.

Carson selected an experienced squad, with Elliott and Robert Summers ranked first in the men’s doubles and Ackerman and Jordaan also top of the women’s doubles rankings, while Caden Kakora, Summers and Johanita Scholtz are in the top 10 in the men’s and women’s singles. There is hope that the team could bring the title home this year.

After the team competition, the players will compete in the individual champs from February 16 to 18.

The players have performed well in this phase of the continental champs and will look to continue their dominance. Last year, they helped SA top the medals table with two golds, one silver and four bronzes to end the competition with seven medals.

Ackerman and Jordaan won the women’s doubles gold, while Summers and Elliott landed the men’s doubles trophy.

Scholtz was a runner-up in the women’s singles, while Robert White, Jordaan, Ackerman and Elliott were third in the mixed doubles.

The SA team:

Women: Amy Ackerman, Deidrè Jordaan, Johanita Scholtz, Diane Olivier and Megan de Beer.
Men: Jarred Elliott, Caden Kakora, Robert Summers and Cameron Coetzer.

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