KEY POINTS:
China yesterday reclaimed the world junior teams title with a hard fought 3-1 win over Korea at Trusts Stadium, Waitakere, showing plenty of potential for the future.
New Zealand had a disappointing end to the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Bulgaria to finish 12th, but still well
ahead of their previous finish of 23rd.
The 3-0 defeat to Bulgaria was not a true indication of the intensity of the tie. New Zealand men's singles player Kevin Dennerly-Minturn competed in a close game of two sets against Peyo Boychinov, losing 22-20, 24-22.
Ashraf Dhoray and Emma Chapple were beaten in the mixed, while Jessica Jongowisastro was close, but not close enough in her 21-18, 21-16 loss to Dimitria Popsoykova.
Although finishing 12th was commendable, the losses to Scotland and Bulgaria were a result of a lack of international match play and an inability to finish off close contests. More funding is needed to solve this problem by helping players travel overseas.
Badminton is a relatively cash-strapped sport in New Zealand, especially when compared to other nations such as China, England and India. Singapore, which has a similar population, receives $6 million a year in government funding.
The grand final itself started well for defending champions Korea as Baek Cheol Shin and Hyun Young Yoo teamed up to beat Biao Chai and Xuerui Li 21-18, 21-15 in the mixed.
China came back to even the score as Long Chen defeated Min Park 21-15, 21-14 in the men's singles and then also grabbed the women's singles in straight games with Lin Wang accounting for Ji Hyun Seung 21-12, 21-6.
Korea needed to win the men's doubles to keep the tie alive and they came close but the strength of Biao Chai and Tian Li showed in the final two sets as they came from behind to win 18-21, 21-17, 21-13.
The overall victory means China have won three of the four teams championships held so far, beating Korea on each occasion.
In the playoff for the bronze medal Singapore beat neighbours Malaysia 3-2.
England was the best of the non-Asian teams finishing in ninth place.
The individuals tournament starts tomorrow running through to the finals on Sunday. A highlight will be whether top seed Aiying Xing, 18, can take the women's singles title.
