WITH the 2014/15 badminton season coming to a close, Lomond Badminton Club has already recorded the most successful year in its history.

WITH the 2014/15 badminton season coming to a close, Lomond Badminton Club has already recorded the most successful year in its history.

Not only has the junior section been thriving this year, but a substantial amount of young members have been entering and competing well in the North Strathclyde Development League. The adult section has also had a fantastic year with growing membership and improved performances.

The highlight of the season was the Junior Club Championship, which saw some fantastic play from the young players on Tuesday, March 17 and 24 the Vale of Leven Academy.

In the under-12 mixed singles, Jill McConnell, Kirsty McConnell, Ben Miller and Logan Van Beuge competed against each other with Jill and Kirsty progressing to the final.

The two sisters played an excellent final match, however Kirsty proved too strong and won 21-10 to win the age group shield.

The over-12 age group was a very close contest for all involved. This group of players have been pushing each other in training all year and the group stage of the competition was extremely competitive. Rosie Green, Laura McKenzie, Mariella Harris and Lucy McConnell progressed though to the semi-finals.

Eilidh McGowan, who was playing in a higher age group, finished on equal points with Lucy, however on count back Lucy just edged into the semi-finals. Mariella played an incredible semi-final and won through against Lucy McConnell. Laura and Rosie played a superb semi-final and entertained the audience of nearly 50 parents and grandparents.

Rosie edged ahead in the game and managed to stay there throughout the game, however Laura kept on winning back points and reducing the distance between the scores. The match ended up being nail bitingly close at 20-19 to Rosie, on the next point Rosie managed to hold her nerve to win 21-19 and progress to the final.

There wasn'’t much rest for Rosie though as she had to prepare for the final against Mariella. The match was also very close however Mariella had better endurance and won 21-14 and a well deserved championship.

The under-12 boys competition also saw some excellent matches. Euan McKenzie, Cole Taylor, Patrick Ayton and Amar Tagore progressed through to the semi-finals. Cole won through to the final with a 21-11 win over Patrick and Euan won 21-19 against Amar in a close match. The final was similar to the girls over 12 match and went down to the wire with Cole winning 21-19.

The over 12 boys competition was well attended with two group stages taking place and the top two from each group progressing to the semi finals. The winners of group one were Bruce Gilhooley and Duncan Johnstone. Joey Hutchison missed out on progressing by just a few points and is definitely a player to watch next season.

In group two, Mark Wallace and Hugh Hutchison progressed to the semi-finals with Bruce facing Hugh and Duncan playing Mark. Bruce had an extremely close match against Hugh, winning 21-19 in an enthralling contest, while Mark played fantastically well to win 21-7 in the other match.

The final match was also extremely close. Both players played to their strengths and pushed each other to the limits, however Mark managed to win 21-19 to become Club Champion for the second year in a row.

The doubles competition was held on Tuesday, March 24, the results are shown below: Semi finals: Under-12 doubles Jack Jardine and Aaron McShannon won 21-10 against Kirsty McConnell and Carly Hammond Amar Tagore and Euan McKenzie won 21–17 against Alan Pennycuik and Cole Taylor Over-12 doubles Inder Hayre and Joey Hutchison won 21–15 against Rosie Green and Shannon Haggarty Arran Hayre and Rhys McGowan won 21–13 against Laura McKenzie and Hugh Tyson Final Results: Under-12 doubles Amar Tagore and Euan McKenzie won 21–9 against Jack Jardine and Aaron McShannon Over-12 doubles Inder Hayre and Joey Hutchison won 21–13 against Arran Hayre and Rhys McGowan Laura McKenzie was nominated as the most improved player in 2014/15 as a result of her dedication to training, attitude and excellent performances at events. The club will soon be having a break for the summer, but will start back at the beginning of September at the Vale of Leven Academy on Tuesday evenings. For more information on Lomond Badminton Club call Alan Crawford on 01389 753557.