Warrnambool junior badminton players salute at Ballarat-hosted country cup

The team of Kiara Billington, Ryan Blundell, Thomas Crothers and Latisha Gay had to fend off strong opponents from host city Ballarat and Geelong to claim the title of champions, but produced quality games, according to Warrnambool Whales coach Robyn Amess.

“We had two even teams in the under 17s – I made sure we didn’t have all our number one players in one team – so I was really stoked to see a Warrnambool team get the win,” she said.

Red was one of five Warrnambool Whales teams to make the journey to Ballarat on the weekend.

Destiny Kelly, Siena Bellamy, Zahli Kelson, Zoe Palmer, Sarah Wallace, Georgia Stewart and Courtney Johnson-Caveny competed at the cup for the first time, while the experienced under 17 teams acted as mentors for the young players across the competition.

Amess said the under 13 team of Destiny, Siena, Zoe, Zahli and Charlie Patterson performed well and grew in confidence as the day went on.

“First round nerves disappeared afer playing Geelong, who won their section, and their second round against Ballarat was more competitive,” Amess said.

“Overall, all our Warrnambool Whales squad was very competitive across all age groups, with our debutants gaining an insight into playing tournament conditions – which could only be described as extremely chilly for juniors and parents.”