UWE badminton open Varsity 2024 with 9-4 victory against USW

By Ben Thomas

The University of the West of England (UWE) badminton team opened the 2024 Varsity event with a 9-4 win against hosts University of South Wales.

In an afternoon of competitive action the event started with the women’s singles and doubles with Crystal Shin Thant Mai of UWE defeating Gabriella Rossi of USW 21-9 and 21-16, before Jess Lai and Myat Yamin extended the visitors lead beating Tamara Gill and Helen Jephcote 21-9 and 21-18.

The action continued with the men’s singles and doubles, where USW picked up their first point of the day after their standout performer Yu-Gene Wong defeated Lewis Brimble 21-11 and 21-5.

UWE soon returned to winning ways however with James Sdrickett and Adrian Ngui defeating Kieran Robinson and Rhodri Morris-Stiff in a three-set contest 23-25, 21-13. 21-8.

UWE held a 3-1 lead going in to the mixed doubles – and opened that category with another win, Sdrickett and Lai teaming up to defeat Rossi and Mo Sobuj.

UWE extended their lead to 5-1 with Ngui and Yamin defeating Robinson and Gill with back to back 21-17 scorelines.

The hosts earned their first point in the mixed doubles in another close contest, as Jephcote and Morris-Stiff defeated Shin Thant Mai and Brimble in a three-set fixture 21-17, 17-21, 21-18.

In the second set of mixed doubles fixtures USW started with another victory as Rossi and Sobuj defeated Brimble and Shin Thant Mai with 21-6 and 21-14 victories. UWE quickly extended their lead to an unassailable 7-3 after back to back wins from the partnerships of Ngui-Yamin and Sdrickett-Lai.

USW collected their final point of the day as Rossi and Sobuj picked up their second win as pair defeating Ngui and Yamin in a three set game.

But UWE finished strongly, picking up the final two points of the day to secure them the spoils overall with a comfortable 9-4 scoreline.