Badminton: Tagle sweeps the board

Western Heights High school student Ben Thomas (right) playing with Chris Johnson at the North Island Under 19 Badminton Championships. Photo / Ben Fraser

Players had one eye on possible selection for the New Zealand Under 19 squad as they took to the court at the North Island Under 19 Badminton Championships in Rotorua over the weekend.

Those competing at the Rotorua Badminton Hall also had the chance to rack up Badminton NZ points to improve their national ranking.

Some, though, had other pressing concerns: Rotorua player and Western Heights High School student Ben Thomas said he decided to compete only in the doubles because it was his school ball on Saturday night.

Thomas, 16, and his Tauranga-based playing partner Chris Johnson did not get an easy ride of it on Saturday morning. Their first match came against the Australasian Under 17 Boys champion Oscar Guo and his partner Niccolo Tagle. The boys from the Bay went down in straight sets.

"He's way up there," Thomas said of Guo. "The players from North Harbour and Auckland are really good."

Thomas is no badminton slouch himself. He took up the sport around five years ago, and has gone on to represent Western Heights High School and the Bay of Plenty.

"I've been playing since I was about 11," he said.

"My mum played it, and I didn't have anywhere else to go one day so I came along to the hall.

"It's a lot of training - I still haven't reached the 'good at it' part. But it's good fun."

Such is Thomas's modest, come what may attitude, he was not aware the tournament was an opportunity to be selected for the national side.

But after taking this weekend relatively easy, Thomas said he was looking forward to the regional schools competition taking place at Tauranga's Aquinas College on August 12, where he will represent his school.

After defeating Thomas and Johnson, Guo and Tagle continued their winning streak to ensure victory in the boys doubles competition.

Showing their dominance of the weekend's event, Tagle and Guo then squared up in the boys singles final.

Tagle came out on top, and then added another title to his name with a top-spot finish in the mixed doubles.

His partner, Sally Fu, also came away with the girls' doubles trophy alongside Christine Zhang.

Top seed Deborah Yin took out the girl's singles event, with Fu tying for third and Zhang coming in second.