5 minute read
Badminton
First IV Badminton
After two years without a full season, it was great to be able to finally play out the full Premiership this year. Following the graduation of two of Camberwell Grammar’s stalwarts in Captain Otto Zhao and William Nguyen, First IV Badminton fielded a newlooking team with Jordan Yang stepping into the captaincy role and Chauncey Yu, filling the vice-captaincy. Looking to continue our dominance in Badminton, Camberwell Grammar needed to look for younger talent with the continued rise of Owen Lim and Edward Lam and the emergence of Meno Chu. The squad was also well supported by Ethan Ong and Alex Zhang, who filled in when players were unavailable. With a squad full of energetic and skillful players, Camberwell Grammar was ready to dominate the ladder. We opened our first few matches confidently, earning 1st spot on the ladder. The team maintained this throughout the season and, despite losing the odd rubber, never lost a tie and finished the regular season on top to go into the grand final playoff.
The challenger was not decided until after the final regular season round was played out. Yarra Valley and Trinity played out a shock upset, allowing both schools to finish on the same number of wins, but with Yarra Valley prevailing on games countback. So once again, Camberwell Grammar faced Yarra Valley in the final. Nothing would go smoothly though with both Captain Jordan and Owen ill during the holidays, and subsequently unable to play in the final regular season round. However, both recovered in time to return for the final. With Jordan and Chauncey coming up against highly-rated players from Yarra Valley, neither had an easy match but both managed to give Camberwell Grammar the dream start in the final. Owen and Edward then followed this up with commanding victories in their respective singles to clinch the tie. The doubles were played out as well with both pairs winning, giving us a clean sweep 6-0, and securing the AGSV trophy for yet another year.
With a squad of talented young players, Camberwell Grammar is in good hands for many years to come.
Jordan Yang
Captain
Division 2 Badminton
Division 2 Blue and Gold teams had an extremely consistent performance throughout the whole season. Both teams had a similar run, as they did not drop a single round against their competition. Even though there were times where the players were challenged, and it seemed as if they were about to lose, they all persisted and pushed through adversity to victory. Team Mitre tried their best but suffered several losses against opposing schools. They did, however, try their hardest to improve on their skill sets.
A special mention in team Blue goes to Timothy Yap. Timothy did not drop a single game throughout the season and showed significant improvement. Even though there were some difficult times throughout the season, Timothy had quite a flawless season. For team Gold, Marcus Lim was a standout. Even though Marcus was not the strongest player within the team, his attitude shone through. Every session, Marcus would come over to the coaches and ask for feedback, things he should improve on and further advice. In team Mitre, an honourable mention goes to Wonlee Kua. Wonlee had the best overall performance and a positive attitude. Despite suffering injury throughout the season, which forced him to skip a few weeks, the moment Wonlee recovered he returned to form.
Overall, every team did extremely well and showed great persistence.
James Guo
Coach
Division 3 Badminton
The Division 3 Blue Badminton team had an extremely successful and exciting season. Everyone in the team worked hard to do their best whenever they played, always showing up to training and games on Saturday. Throughout the season, the team always gave their best, and this paid off with almost all, if not all, our games won. Overall, the team showed great commitment and also great improvement throughout the season.
The Divison 3 Badminton Gold team had an outstanding season, achieving amazing results from all members. The team consistently gave their all on the courts, yielding great games, and have improved their skills throughout the season. They showed great sportsmanship and resilience on the courts and should all be proud of their achievements.
The Division 3 Mitre Badminton team had a strong and successful season. They came out victorious in almost every game attended, thanks to their strong teamwork and hard work during training. All of the players put in their best effort every game.
The Division 3 Crest Badminton team had a strong season this year. Every team member showed commitment to the sport whether it be giving it their best during training sessions, volunteering to umpire, or even staying behind after their own matches to encourage their teammates on the side. As a result, they brought fierce competition to the opposing schools.
A special thanks to Maya, who coached the teams and made this wonderful season possible.
Aaron Zhuang, Lucas Qian, Lachlan Wong, and Daniel Seow
Division 4 Badminton
The 2022 season was the first time in two years that we had no interruptions of training and games. All the students trained very hard under the instructions of coaches and made good progress in their skills. Three students were promoted to Division 3.
We played every Saturday at school against Yarra Valley and students from all 13 teams demonstrated enthusiasm and sportsmanship in their games. They not only improved their Badminton skills but formed lifelong friendships with each other.
Mr Wei Ha
Teacher in Charge
Year 7/8 Badminton
The 2022 Badminton season was a great success – everyone learned new skills and improved their performance, but more than that the whole team had a great time playing against Trinity, PEGS, and Yarra Valley. It was so nice to be meeting new players and competing regularly again post Covid-19. We wish to thank our awesome coaches for teaching us, and for Miss Jennifer Turnnidge for managing the eight teams.
We look forward to playing Badminton for the School again in the 2023 season.
James Lim and Alan Tarn
