The Junior Badminton Association hosted its 3rd Annual Junior Badminton Tournament this weekend, bringing together some of Bermuda's most promising young badminton players for a weekend of competitive action.

The tournament was organised by coaches Emma Moran-Lee and Aaron Simmons, Bermuda’s No 1 players who are passionate about developing the sport and passing on their love of badminton to the next generation.

The Bermuda Olympic Association was in attendance to promote the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect with competing athletes and coaches. The values are the foundation of the Olympic movement and builds on the Bermuda Olympic Association’s activities to promote sport, culture and education.

Athletes were able to stop at the engagement booth to discover facts about Bermuda’s Olympic history, quiz their general sports knowledge and to learn more about the Olympic, Pan American, Commonwealth and Central American and Caribbean Games.

The action got under way on Saturday, with 21 under-16 and under-18 players showcasing their talents in the quest for national rankings and championship trophies.

Joseph Lau was victorious in the under-18 boys singles, remaining unbeaten throughout the competition to regain the title. Three players finished on five match wins, with Lau beating Finn Peters and Ethan Mello by conceding fewer points

Lau teamed up with Aaron Lee to successfully defend their doubles title, winning all their matches in two sets to claim the championship for the second consecutive year.

Finn Peters and Ethan Mello recovered from losing their opening game 17-21 against Prince Domingo and Ryan McLean to win the next two games 21-8 and 21-16 to secure second place.

Hayleigh Cherry beat Annabel Olutiola 14-21, 21-18, 21-18 to win the under-18 girls singles title

George Peniston won the under-16 boys singles championship, with Joshua Manning runner-up and Benji Stones third.

Dominic Slater and Daniel Dalene combined to win the under-16 boys doubles, winning all their matches without dropping a game. Maikel Dela Cruz and Benji Stones finished second with Praroop Srivastava and Riley Maybury rounding off the podium

Kate Pursell remained unbeaten to win the under-16 girls singles, with Sophie McClure and Khushi Simha rounding off the top three positions.

Pursell and McClure then combined forces to beat Emmalyn Tothong and Khushi Simha in the doubles.

A total of 42 players competed on Sunday in the under-12 and under-14 tournaments, with Mason Smith beating off nine rivals to win the under-14 boys singles.

Smith and runner-up Edward Ross were closely matched in an exciting final, with Mason eventually claiming the title with a 21-14 victory. In the third-place play-off, Charles Balderas defeated James Wallace 21-16 to secure third place.

Balderas teamed up with Joseph Yammine to dominate the doubles, remaining unbeaten throughout. Smith and James Wallace were runners-up with Oran Lynch and Kaiden DeSilva third

Zach McClure was crowned under-12 boys champion as 16 youngsters competed in a round-robin competition across four pools before advancing to the knockout stages.

McClure beat William Biram 21-15 in the final, with the third-place play-off providing plenty of excitement as Narayan Dhesi edged out Ethan Weaver in a nail-biting 21-20 finish.

McClure teamed up with Levi Mello to win the doubles, beating Biram and Landon Boorman into second with Elliott St Laurent and Ethan Weaver in third.

Emmalyn Tothong came out on top of the under-14 girls singles, winning all her matches to successfully defend her title. Ava Swart was runner-up with Madeleine McBain third.

Tothong and Hanako Kitade also retained their doubles title, beating McBain and Swart. Jeanne Prabis and Maddie Branco narrowly beat Avantika Pai and Georgia Rose in a tight match to decide third place. After splitting the first two games, it went into a deciding third game, which Prabis and Branco won 21-18

Aleisha Siddiqi won the under-12 girls singles, with Leona Tyers and Evangeline York finishing second and third respectively.

Siddiqi and Tyers combined to beat Willa Mir and Evangeline York to the doubles title. Samirah Outerbridge and Arya-Rose Zuill finished third.

“The Junior Badminton Association would like to extend a huge thank you to all the parents for their continued support throughout the day,” said an association spokesperson.

“Their encouragement and assistance with tidying the gym at the end of a long weekend were very much appreciated.

“A special thank you goes to BGA and Butterfield & Vallis for their generous donations of food and drinks, ensuring players had plenty of healthy snacks and refreshments to stay energised throughout the competition.

“Finally, we are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who generously gave their time to score matches and help keep the tournament running smoothly and on schedule. Their contribution was invaluable to the success of the event.”