Players were warming up as soon as the doors opened at 9am, and all 9 courts were busy throughout, in this most famous of British badminton venues.
Unlike traditional knockout tournaments, players were not eliminated after a few games, so everyone played in their own final, to determine where they finished in their respective competition.
The Open was a hard-fought session, with the eventual winners Benn Shilleto & Niall Howard triumphing over Mike Poulter & Matthew Sims, 21-13.
On the Ladies side of the draw, it was a narrow victory by one game for Amy Street & Eloise Bryan, beating Hannah Milne & Deepika Thommandru 21-17 in the decider.
Fast-paced badminton can have consequences for your racket.
Thankfully, Yorkshire Badminton’s top stringer Cameron Hassan was on hand throughout the day, and he was certainly kept busy with 10 much-needed expert restrings.
A special treat for all players and spectators was a lunchtime training session by former Olympians and European & Commonwealth Doubles champions Gabby & Chris Adcock.
Having presented the trophies for the morning session, they demonstrated an engrossing array of dynamic drills, highlighting their legendary speed and accuracy.
Perfectly timed ahead of the afternoon Mixed doubles session, they answered specific questions from players, making the whole day all the more memorable.
The Mixed competition was the busiest of the day, 9 games long and culminating in a resounding repeat win for Deepika Thommandru & Joseph Lam, this time over Izzy & Jonny Eastwood 21-4.
The Railway Institute also hosted a delicious homemade cake stall, raising £90 for their ongoing fundraising efforts – please see HERE for opportunities to donate.
Several months in the making, Richard Samuels – Chair of the York & District Badminton League wishes to express particular thanks to his fellow League Committee members Hazel Winfield and Angie Hobman for coordinating the entries and supplying the winners and runners up trophies, and on the day itself to Margaret Sinclair for setting up the venue, and Mat Hobman & Mike Poulter for orchestrating the draws.
Following a very appreciative round of applause after conducting the Mixed Doubles trophy presentation, Richard Samuels is pleased to confirm that the 2027 tournament is already in the diary for Sunday, January 24.
