2010 Junior Pennants - Autumn Series - Week 3 of 5

The third week of the competition saw the Falcons will take on the Hawks, while the undefeated Eagles took on the Crows.

The Falcons were in fine form this week, hitting and smashing from all corners of the courts. Alexandra Phan stood in for Silvi Botha (Hawks) this week and did well for the team. Brendan Murray played well and took two games for the Hawks off the Falcons. Many of the games were very close with 7 matches being won by a margin of 2 points or less (21-19 or closer) - unfortunately for the Hawks all 7 of those close games were won by the Falcons and they went on to win the tie with a final score of 14 games to 4.

In the other tie, the undefeated Eagles were involved in a tough match against the Crows. Both teams took 4 singles games each and it was just as tight in the doubles but crucially the Crows won 6 doubles games compared to the Eagles 5. This led the Crows to a very hard fought and well earned 10-9 win. Stand out players for the Crows included Ella Whyte, Edward Win & Nicole Yau, while Herman Chan, Cavan Yau & Leonard Yau played strongly for the Eagles. There were many tight games and the total points difference at the end of the tie was just 7 pts (Crows 357 to Eagles 350).

It is impressive and very encouraging to see the many long rallies, with the teams hitting the shuttles back and forth across the net trying to win the crucial points. Most of all, it is great to see all the players trying their best, having fun and improving their skills.

Also, Junior Pennant Co-ordinator, Himanshu Thacker was surprised this week by a visit from members of the WA State Under 17 team who came to thank him for coaching them during the recent June Bevan & Australasian Championships Under 17s Carnival. There were some cakes and drinks brought in as well and the junior players, junior state players and parents enjoyed afternoon tea together.

Team Standings After Week 3:

Next week (Week 4) sees the Semi-Finals get under way, with the Falcons (1) taking on the Hawks (4), while the Eagles (2) will play the Crows (3) again.

Finally in Week 5, the final play-offs will take place to determine the final placings of the team.

Trophies will be awarded to the winning and runner up teams, while prizes / trophies will also be awarded to players who played exceptionally over the five weeks. So, good luck to all teams for next week. We look forward to another week of strong competition from all players / teams.

2010 Junior Pennants Semester 1 Teams:

CROWS: Julian Ng, Heer Gudka, Nicole Yau, Mark Grant, Edward Win, Ella Whyte (Captain), Brendan Burns, Gareth Evans

EAGLES: Herman Chan, Alvin Khuu, Lizzy Leroy, Cavan Yau, Daniel Tie, Alana Shaylor, Lim Eih Bin (Captain), Leonard Yau

FALCONS: Titus Tan (Captain), Dylan Wong, Ade Bambang, Matthew Teo, James Cooper, Alice Hon, Adi Bambang, Cameron Smith

HAWKS: Tam Ho, Owen Chan, Silvi Botha, Jeremy Tie, Tsuyoshi Takashima, Samantha Kendall (Captain), Brendan Murray, Ziao Veneziani

Information and photos provided by: Stephen Teo, Badminton WA, Junior Development.