The Doubles events, held on Sunday 15th September, again showcased a fantastic entry, with many of our promising older juniors also getting their first taste of senior-level competition. With a number of new partnerships, the events were wide open, adding an extra layer of excitement to the tournament.
The Open doubles featured four groups, with the winners of each progressing to the semi-finals. Group A was topped by the new pairing of Martin Cheung (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) and Matthew Nicholson (Chillphase Vikings), while Group B saw Alex Buck and Steven Quayle (Chillphase Vikings) emerge victorious after several closely contested matches. Tobey Cheng and Tommy Cheng (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) took the top spot in Group C, while Baillie Watterson (Athol Park Guest House Castletown) and Neil Harding (Chillphase Vikings) claimed Group D.
In the semi-finals, Martin and Matthew faced Baillie and Neil in an exciting three-game match. After dropping the first 13-21, Martin and Matthew fought back to take the next two games 21-14, 21-18 and secure their spot in the final. The other semi-final was another fantastic battle of long rallies, with Alex and Steven beating Tobey and Tommy 21-14, 21-16 to set up a highly anticipated final.
The final was an excellent display of doubles badminton, with Martin Cheung and Matthew Nicholson continuing their winning form of the day. They won the match in two games, 21-12, 21-16, to claim the Open Doubles title for the 2024-25 season. This marked Matthew’s seventh Island doubles title and Martin’s first, a great achievement for the newly formed partnership.
The Women’s Doubles event featured two competitive groups, with the winners progressing to the finals and the runners-up earning the bronze medals. In Group A, Mia Kirk and Leah Brennan (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) secured their place in the final with three straightforward victories. The runner-up spot, however, was more fiercely contested, with Jessica Thornton (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) and Cara Corlett (Chillphase Vikings) facing Louise and Abigayil Mellor (Athol Park Guest House Castletown) in what ended in a very close three-game match. Jessica and Cara narrowly held on to win 21-18 in the final game after a tremendous comeback from Louise and Abigayil who pushed them all the way to the final point.
In Group B, cousins Charlotte Watson and Emma Nicholson (Chillphase Vikings) won all their games, with their closest encounter being a well-fought match against Kayleigh Callow and Annelise Mellor (Athol Park Guest House Castletown), which finished 21-14, 21-17.
This set the stage for a final that was a repeat of the showdown from two years ago. As before, it came down to a deciding third game after a fabulous, tightly contested match, but this time it was Charlotte Watson and Emma Nicholson who triumphed in a nail-biting finish, winning 21-19 to claim their first Island Women’s Doubles title together.
The Mixed Doubles event attracted the largest entry in many years, with five groups competing and once again, a number of exciting new partnerships. Group A was topped by Mia Kirk (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) and Matthew Nicholson (Chillphase Vikings), while Phillipa Li and Tobey Cheng (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) claimed victory in Group B. Group C was very close, with Leah Brennan (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) and Alex Buck (Chillphase Vikings) narrowly edging out Emma Nicholson (Chillphase Vikings) and Baillie Watterson (Athol Park Guest House Castletown) in a high paced three-setter that ended 21-17 in the decider. Group D saw Annelise Mellor (Athol Park Guest House Castletown) and Martin Cheung (McKenzie Fox Fencibles) come out on top, and Group E, after a series of tight matches, was decided on countback, with Jessica Thornton and Tommy Cheng emerging as the winners.
The quarter-final match determined the final semi-finalist, with Annelise Mellor and Martin Cheung defeating Jessica Thornton and Tommy Cheng to secure their spot in the last four. The semi-finals were then played, with Phillipa Li and Tobey Cheng putting on a dominant display to defeat Leah Brennan and Alex Buck 21-7, 21-15. The second semi-final was a more closely contested affair, with Mia Kirk and Matthew Nicholson facing Annelise Mellor and Martin Cheung. Mia and Matthew won the first game 21-17, and in an incredibly tight second game, managed to just clinch the win 23-21 after a very impressive fight from their younger opponents.
More drama ensued as we ran out of time for the final due to so many close matches during the day! After a break for an hour of basketball to take place in the hall, play resumed again at 9pm as the remaining spectators settled down for the last final of the day. It did not disappoint and those who stayed were treated to a fabulous 3 set final which saw the steady and strong pairing of Phillipa and Tobey dominating the deciding game to win 21-14, 19-21, 21-4 taking the mixed doubles title for the first time together as a pairing.
Trophies and medals were kindly presented by our Chair of the Isle of Man Badminton Association Roberta Cannell.
A huge thank you to the tournament organisers and helpers on the table who kept things moving smoothly all weekend, our wonderful umpires Caroline Whitehead and David Craig, the junior helpers who rounded up players to keep games on courts, the Roundhouse and Caffee Roundhouse staff for hosting us, Dave Bell from DK Photography for the epic action shots and podium finishers, and all the players, parents and spectators who made this a fantastic weekend of badminton.
