Andrew and Robert Bracey from Tadworth, who train in Redhill, Surrey, earned bronze medals at the Sussex Tier 4 tournament on Sunday 29 June; their best result so far in senior competition.
Competing in Men’s Doubles, they got off to a strong start. Their opening match against Cambridgeshire pair Yize Gao and Tristan Townsend was a three-set battle. After losing the first set 9–21, they dug deep to take the second 23–21 and followed it up with a confident 21–13 win in the decider.
Their second match, against Sussex pair Mark McCormack and Sam Merrick, was more straightforward. They won in straight sets: 21–11, 21–17.
They rounded off the group stage with another straight-set win, this time against Tommy Neville and Amit Kumar Sinha: 21–15, 21–19. That meant three wins from three, top of the group, and a place in the quarter-finals.
In the quarters, they faced Kamran Ahluwalia and Dominic Lai from Berkshire and came through 22–20, 22–20; a tight match, but they stayed composed throughout.
In the semi-final, they lost to Ieuan Rice and Benjamin Timms: 9–21, 19–21. They’ll know there was more to give, but it was still a solid campaign overall and a confidence boost going forward.
Reflecting on the day, Andrew said: “We did okay. We got bronze medals. It’s the best we’ve done at a senior tournament so far.”
On what worked better this time, he added: “We kept our composure better, made fewer mistakes under pressure and finished rallies quicker. I still need to work on intercepting more and varying my returns. I’m a bit too hesitant at the net.”
Robert said: “I think their weakness was in their attack, it was easy to take control and they tended to drop a lot. Keeping the pressure on and forcing mistakes really worked.”
The training development focus now shifts to anticipation, net control and mid-court variation; all key areas for the next step. Andrew and Robert, who always give it their all during training in Redhill, are making great progress, and if they continue building on this, more podiums will follow.
If you’re curious about what it takes to start competing, we’re always happy to chat.
