Skipper proud of team despite falling short at tourney
The team was made up of seven players and finished fourth in the competition.
The Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) U17 captain Havish Chetty is still proud of the team despite falling just short of a top-three finish during the SA U17 badminton championships in Durban last month.
After some setbacks, including the last-minute withdrawal of two players and a 12-hour trip affected by heavy snow on September 21 at Van Reenen’s Pass, Chetty and his team fared well in the competition.
Despite their valiant effort, they fell one place off a medal position after finishing the team event in fourth.
The skipper said he felt they could’ve done better given the depth of talent in the province.
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“We wanted to win and kept that mentality until the end. Even with our setback, we held our heads high and still competed in the end,” he said.
Chetty praised the team for hoisting the EGBA flag high, adding that while they were physically in good condition, they need to toughen up mentally.
“Physically, we are capable. We just need to work on our mental approach,” said Chetty.
In the individual events, Vigario and Yin Wen Li clinched golds in the mixed doubles, girls’ and boys’ doubles and girls’ singles.
Wen Li beat Chloe Lai of Jozi Badminton 21-10, 21-19 to win the girl’s singles and the pair teamed up to win the girls’ doubles, beating the Namibian duo, Emily Amutenya and Memory Namalemo, 21-12, 21-16.
Vigario and Lai beat the team of Misha Bredell and Wen Li 21-19, 21-19 to win the mixed doubles and together with Bredell, Vigario beat Timothy Gabriels and Joshua Matthews 21-17, 21-16 to win the boys’ doubles.
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