THERE were net gains for several talented youngsters at Dunfermline Badminton Association’s annual Christmas tournament for juniors last Saturday.

The competition, which was held at Queen Anne High School, attracted an excellent entry list of more than 30 players, across three age categories, who played for medals in both singles and doubles.

Throughout the day, there were many close matches and, in the singles, Aryan Aniruddhan picked up the under-14 boys’ title, as Liam King finished as runner-up.

Malachi Kupfer was the winner in the under-16 age group, taking top spot ahead of runner-up, Nikhil Gupta, while Max Law took home the under-19 crown, with Dylan Lawrence finishing in second place.

There were also consolation prizes in the under-14 boys’ singles for Andrew Lu, and Archie Paterson in the under-19 age group.

In the girls’ competition, Riya Bhaskar was the winner of the under-14 age category, ahead of second-placed Maia Baker, while Isha Bhaska was the victor in the under-16s, with Maya Scott placing as runner-up.

In the doubles, Liam King and Caiden McGregor won the boys’ under-14 title, defeating runners-up Sion Pepper and Shota-Leon Sato, while Aryan Aniruddhan and Malachi Kupfer teamed-up to win the under-16 prize, ahead of second-placed Isha Bhaskar and Gregor Karley-Smith.

The under-19 title was won by Dylan Lawrence and Euan Stewart, with Ryan Hunter and Max Law placing as runners-up.

The girls’ doubles saw only the under-14 age group played for, and that was won by Riya Bhaskar and Nikita Gupta, with Maia Baker and Julia Stasiak finishing second.

Throughout the year, Dunfermline Badminton Association also host a number of ladder competitions for junior players.