Friday 22nd March 2024

RGU hosted the 2024 Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships. Two days full of fast-paced action provided great entertainment for spectators. Here’s a summary of the weekends events!

The 2024 Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships took place on the 15th/16th of March at RGU SPORT and featured 188 players across 5 different events. The weekend contained incredible moments of determination and skill, which culminated in a series of gripping finals on Saturday evening. Here’s how it went!

Friday morning began with men’s singles action, including a 46-minute match in the round of 128 between Aqeel Khaldun of St Andrews and University of Aberdeen’s Connor Mcrobbie, with the latter winning the third set to advance to the next round.

After a huge number of entertaining matches, the men’s singles final took place on Saturday evening, where Strathclyde University’s #1 Angus Meldrum faced #2 Ciar Pringle from the University of Stirling. A back-and-forth match took place where momentum swung both ways. Ultimately, Pringle’s power allowed him to erase a 1-0 set deficit in a captivating match and take home the gold medal, winning the final two sets 21-18, and 22-20.

Women’s singles proved to be equally entertaining. #3/4 Deepthi Ramesh from the University of Edinburgh proved to be strong from the start, making her way to the final without having a single game enter the third set. Including a win over #1 Toni Woods from the University of the West of Scotland in the semi-final 21-13, 21-18.

The other side of the bracket provided more intense matchups, including a semi-final between the University of Stirling’s #2 Xinrui Tan and Strathclyde’s #3/4 Sophie Ford. Tan advanced to set up a Stirling vs Edinburgh final.

Ramesh’s speed and technique proved too much for Tan, as she won the women’s singles final 21-14, 21-8.

Mixed doubles contained plenty more spectacular badminton and close matches for spectators in Aberdeen. Such as back-to-back 3-set matches for the University of Strathclyde’s #5/8 Finlay Sherrif and Sophie Ford. Including a 1 hour 13-minute game against the University of Edinburgh’s Godfrey Antomarlin and Harriet Dawson in the round of 16 which saw Strathclyde leave victorious.

The University of the West of Scotland’s Jack Macgregor and Toni Woods began the weekend #1 and immediately proved worthy of their ranking, winning their first game 21-5, 21-2. They continued their dominance on their route to the final through powerful and precise shots.

The other finalists, University of Edinburgh’s #2 Zachary Wong and Wen Jun, impressed on the other side of the bracket. Including a toughly contested victory against the University of Stirling’s #3/4 Ciar Pringle and Xinrui Tan 21-16, 21-16 in the semi-final.

The final produced a thrilling game of badminton, Wong and Jun won a close first set 21-18. Macgregor and Dow showed great resilience, fighting back in the second set to win 21-14.

Both teams were visibly exhausted going into the third set but unwilling to give up their chances to win a gold medal. Wong and Jun edged the last set 21-19, bringing home the victory for the University of Edinburgh.

Women’s doubles kicked off with a bang. An opening-round 3-set match featured the University of Strathclyde’s Caroline Deighan and Erin Sinclair against the University of Edinburgh’s Stella Doherty and Shermaine Leung. The Glasgow-based university took a narrow win in the final set 24-22.

Representing the University of Edinburgh, #1 Wen Jun and Jane Yi showed great court intelligence and skill as they advanced to the semi-finals to face the University of the West of Scotland’s #5/8 Toni Woods and Maria Leith. A close match between two strong pairings resulted in a 21-18, 21-17 victory for the University of Edinburgh.

The other semi-final was an all-Edinburgh University affair, #3/4 Anett Karsai and Eilidh Mccallister faced #5/8 Sophie Barrie and Sophia Schubert. Either team could have advanced but clutch shots from Karsai and Mccallister saw them win both sets 22-20.

The first set of the women’s doubles final proved to be tense and hugely entertaining for everyone watching on at RGU. Both teams were impressive throughout, eventually Jun and Yi won 28-26 meaning they took control of the match entering the second set. A fierce second set with several long rallies resulted in a 21-15 win for the #1 ranked duo.

Finally, entering men’s doubles, Kenneth Cheung and Adam Pringle were the favourites, ranked number 1.  After three strong performances, they advanced to the semi-final to set up a Glasgow derby, when they took on the University of Glasgow’s #5/8 Alastair Campbell and Alex Chudic. Supporters were plentiful and passionate for both sides. The Strathclyde pairing grabbed the victory, 21-11, 21-7.

The other semi-final featured another Strathclyde duo, #5/8 Angus Meldrum and Finlay Sheriff matched up against #2 Torben Trapp and Zachary Wong from the University of Edinburgh. The duo from the University of Edinburgh advanced after two intense, competitive sets, winning 21-18, 21-15.

Unfortunately, the University of Edinburgh pairing was forced to retire in the final, as Wong was in serious pain due to a cramp in his calf and was unable to participate to the best of his abilities. This meant Cheung and Pringle were crowned winners and took gold medals back to the University of Strathclyde.

The University of Edinburgh won the Scottish Student Sport Badminton Championships 2024 thanks to their victories in the mixed doubles, women’s doubles, and women’s singles. Wen Jun won the MVP award for the weekend, her impressive physicality and technique were vital in Edinburgh’s victories in mixed doubles and women’s doubles. She won 11 games and was undefeated across the two days.

A massive thanks to RGU SPORT and RGU Badminton for helping us host an amazing event, and to all the volunteers who made it run so well.

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Saturday 9th March 2024

A review of the BUCS Scottish Conference Finals, held in St Andrews on the 6th of March 2024, which featured 9 different sports!

The excitement and anticipation in St Andrews were immense as the town played host to the BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2024 on Wednesday the 6th of March. A total of 22 fixtures and 9 different sports gave many student athletes the chance to make a memory they would not soon forget, and the opportunity to bring home valuable silverware to their University or College.

The opening act of the 2024 Conference Finals saw St Andrews University 3s face-off against Stirling University 2s in the Women’s Hockey Trophy. A large following of Stirling supporters and a strong home crowd for St Andrews created a passionate atmosphere for the first game of the day. A hardly fought first half meant Stirling opened the 3rd quarter with a slender 2-1 lead. However, shortly after the half-time break Stirling’s quality began to show and the match finished 6-1 in favour of the visitors.

Despite the grey skies and bitter temperature, the impressive standard of hockey continued in the Women’s Hockey Cup when Edinburgh University 4s took on Aberdeen University 1s. A back-and-forth 70 minutes eventually resulted in Aberdeen University lifting the cup, after they held onto their 3-2 lead in the final minutes of the game.

The Men’s Trophy final provided another opportunity for St Andrews University to clinch hockey silverware. This time, an impressive performance produced a gold medal for their 3s, who beat out Edinburgh University 6s 3-0.

The final hockey affair of the day was Edinburgh University 3s vs Aberdeen University 1s in the Men’s Hockey Cup. A heated affair soon lost any sort of discipline, leading to the referees having to brandish multiple cards, including a red to one University of Aberdeen player. With Aberdeen 3-2 down, they pushed intensely for a 3rd goal, playing without a goalkeeper for the last 5 minutes. However, they were punished for missing too many chances and Edinburgh University were able to hold on at the death.

The first tennis event of the day involved 2 impressive teams, with Strathclyde University 1s facing Dundee University 1s in the Women’s Tennis Cup. There was brilliant entertainment on show for spectators including 2 closely fought matches that required tiebreaks to decide the winner. Ultimately, Dundee came away with a victory, winning 5-1 on the day.

Despite the unfortunate wind and rain, incredible tennis was still on display from both Edinburgh University and Stirling University in the Women’s Tennis Trophy which followed fast four rules. A brilliant outing from Stirling Women’s #1 and #2 who did not drop a match in both their respective singles and doubles together proved to be the difference maker. Stirling won 4-2 overall.

Heriot-Watt University went up against Edinburgh Napier University in the Men’s Tennis Trophy which also took place in a fast four format. Despite a great effort from Napier’s #1 who recorded a convincing singles victory, Heriot-Watt proved to be the stronger team on the day resulting in a 5-1 victory.

In the Men’s Tennis Cup Stirling University 5s took on St Andrews University 2s. This matchup provided highly competitive, back and forth tennis, which resulted in half of the matches going to tiebreaks. Stirling were crowned champions after a 4-2 victory.

The Women’s Netball Trophy featured Strathclyde University 4s matching up against Heriot-Watt University 4s. Strathclyde asserted their dominance early meaning they took a 17-point lead into half-time. Despite Heriot-Watt showing flashes of good play in the second half, Strathclyde walked away with a comfortable 51-28 victory.

However, the Women’s Netball Cup final supplied a much closer contest. Aberdeen University 1s trailed Edinburgh University 3s by just a single point heading into the final quarter. A huge effort in the final 15 minutes by Edinburgh led to them lifting the cup after a 41-33 win. The early stages of the Men’s Football Trophy final were a tightly contested affair, however after Edinburgh University 4s opened the scoring their confidence levels elevated and they put in a dominant performance. Eventually resulting in a 10-0 win over a hard-working Edinburgh College 1s team.

A huge display of home support was on show in the Men’s Football Cup final as St Andrews University 1s battled against Stirling University 3s. The Saints took advantage of early pressure and gave their many fans something to cheer about when they scored just minutes into the match. Stirling applied pressure in St Andrews defensive third for much of the match, but a composed performance resulted in a 3-0 win for the home team.

The final football fixture of the 2024 conference finals involved Stirling 2s versus Heriot-Watt 1s in the Women’s Football Cup. An intense game which saw chances for both sides and moments of individual brilliance came down to the final moments on a cold, windy night. Heriot-Watt established an early lead after scoring on the 15 minute mark, but Stirling cancelled it out with 2 goals of their own either side of half-time. Stirling were able to sustain late pressure from Heriot-Watt and defend their 2-1 lead until the final whistle. Spectators watched on in suspense while the Heriot-Watt goalkeeper made a flurry of crucial saves.

The Men’s Rugby Trophy got off to a rip-roaring start. Physical play from Stirling University 2s and costly penalties by Strathclyde University 3s resulted in a 19-0 lead for the men in green. However, Strathclyde were able to weather the storm and begin to put some points on the board themselves. However, Stirling came out victorious on the day, 46-22. In no small part due to their set piece dominance.

Two impressive teams faced off in the Men’s Rugby Cup when Stirling University 1s played Glasgow University 2s. A muddy pitch and whipping winds proved to be difficult conditions for the two sides who still put on a thoroughly entertaining display of rugby. Stirling pulled off a 27-14 win that provided great pleasure to their many fans watching. The game included a man of the match display from Stirling’s loosehead prop who was excellent around the breakdown and showed off some bone-breaking carries.

Heriot-Watt University 1s played Aberdeen University 1s in the Women’s Rugby Cup final. Heriot-Watt came flying out of the gate with several early tries meaning they established a healthy lead. They continued their impressive performance with slick passes and line-breaking runs which contributed to a huge 78-0 win despite the tireless effort of the Aberdeen players who fought until the final whistle.

Two teams determined to lift silverware faced off in the Mixed Badminton Cup Final. Intense rallies which featured spectacular moments of technique impressed spectators in the matches between Glasgow University 2s and Edinburgh University 2s. Despite some impressive performances from Glasgow, Edinburgh proved to be the stronger squad on the day, leaving St Andrews as 11-1 victors.

Stirling University 1s took an early lead and held possession for most of the first quarter against Glasgow University 2s in the Women’s Lacrosse Cup. A number of stunning saves from the Glasgow goalkeeper meant Stirling were unable to extend their lead. Glasgow was able to capitalise on Stirling’s missed opportunities and eventually ran away with the match which finished 18-4. Meaning Glasgow would be the team to bring the cup down South.

An eager crowd and high-flying action were on show in the Women’s Volleyball Cup. A commanding performance produced a straight sweep in sets for Edinburgh University 2s who beat Glasgow University 2s, 3-0.

A thrilling match with a booming atmosphere followed when Dundee University 1s grappled with Heriot-Watt University 1s in the Men’s Volleyball Cup final. Vicious spikes and elbow-scraping dives featured in a strong Heriot-Watt performance meaning they took the first two sets with relative ease. However, Dundee showed great fight in the third set, at one point erasing a 5 point deficit to tie the set at 14-14. Unfortunately for Dundee, Heriot-Watt regained momentum in the set following a timeout from their coach and eventually won the match 3-0.

Basketball was on the agenda for the closing matches of the 2024 Conference Finals. Aberdeen University 1s faced Dundee University 1s in the Women’s Basketball Cup. A closely contested opening 2 quarters resulted in a slim Dundee lead at half-time. Dundee’s physicality proved to be too much for Aberdeen as a number of offensive rebounds lead to second chance points for Dundee who extended their lead to 11 by the final buzzer. The match finished 52-41.

The climax of the day’s events showcased the Men’s Basketball Cup. A highly rated Stirling University 1s team matched up against Robert Gordon University 1s in a venue packed full of spectators who cheered on both sides from the bleachers. From the first moments of the game Stirling came out hot, finding ways to score on all 3 levels and RGU’s defence did not appear to have any answers. RGU were able to find some momentum in the game but still found themselves down 17 points down at halftime. Stirling cruised their way through the 2nd half and were crowned champions following a 95-75 victory.

BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2024 was a wonderful event which was only made possible by the hard-work and dedication of referees, Saints Sport staff, and volunteers. Check out photos from the day on our social media accounts below.

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Photo credits to Jacob Portchmouth and Andrew Leinster.

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Monday 5th June 2023

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2022/23 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which SSS medals* have been awarded during the 2022/23 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

 

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Last Updated: June 2023

*Also includes BUCS medals won at Scottish Conference Finals

Compare how your instution got on against the 2021-22 Medal Tracker!

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Tuesday 25th April 2023

It’s Awards Season again!! We are now accepting nominations for the 2022/23 SSS Awards! Read on for more information on the different award categories, the nomination process and where the winners will be crowned.

We are delighted to announce that the SSS 2022/23 Awards are officially open!

The Awards 

We are accepting individual nominations in the following five categories:

  • Female Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high-performance female student-athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a female individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022 – April 2023) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
  • Male Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high-performance male student-athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a male individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022- April 2023) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
  • Volunteer of the Year- Aimed at students and non-students who volunteer at a local level. This is not aimed at volunteers primarily in a SSS role (please see Dr Rob MacPherson Award); coaches (see Coach of the Year); paid staff going the extra mile (see Honorary President’s Medal). This will be awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport at a local level during the 2022-23 year. The contribution may be in many forms such as exceptional active or administrative services to a club, college, or university; as a faithful club servant, committee member, leader; official; or purely down to their love of sport. Volunteers purely in a coaching capacity should be nominated for the Coach of the Year award.
  • Coach of the Year- Aimed at those who coach student sport/student-athletes at any level of performance. They may be either volunteer coaches or paid coaches. Not aimed at professional coaches based in Higher Education for whom student-athletes are not the main focus. This award will be given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport by coaching during the 2022-23 season. Good quality coaching; innovative ideas; dedication to the sport; and a drive to continually improve their own skills are features of an outstanding coach.
  • Honorary President’s Medal- Aimed at any individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to/lasting impact on student sport at a local, regional or national level. Nominees should be regarded as wonderful examples/ advocates of student sport and their behaviour should resonate with the above SSS values.

We are accepting group nominations in the following two categories:

  • Club of the Year- Aimed at the all-round best performing Club, on and off the field of play. Not aimed at clubs that have had a successful competition year only. This will be awarded to a club that can demonstrate impact in the 2022-23 season. Increasing memberships, upping participation, innovative projects, developing volunteers, promoting the role of officials; fundraising, community links and involvement in institutional activity are just certain elements that would demonstrate excellence.
  • Team of the Year- Aimed at the most successful, high-performing student teams in the country, whether within SSS/BUCS competition or further afield. Not aimed at a team that performs to the fullest of its potential in the lower levels of competition e.g. a third team that has a 100% season is still unlikely to win this award. This will be awarded to a team for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022-April 2023). This can include international performances.
  • The final award is the Dr Rob MacPherson Award. This award differs slightly from the rest of our awards – there are no nominations, instead, the winner is selected by the SSS staff team as opposed to the Executive Committee. The award is aimed at any individual who has made an outstanding contribution to volunteering with Scottish Student Sport.

The Details

  • Nominations for each category should be a maximum of 250 words, in bullet point format listing out key achievements.
  • Institutions can nominate in as many categories as they wish, but may only put forward one entry per category.
  • Past winners can receive the same award again.
  • Only member institutions can nominate. All member institutions have been sent login details to the online portal where nominations should be submitted.
  • Nominations close on FRIDAY 5th MAY at 18:00 and the Executive Council will then decide on the winners.
  • Winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Wednesday 7th June, as part of the SSS Conference.
  • Please contact Totty with any queries.
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Friday 3rd February 2023

Interested in learning more about how to get involved with Scottish Student badminton? Well look no further!

Key Information

 

Badminton is the fastest racquet sport in the World and can be played by two or four players at a time. The game is played on a rectangular court divided by a net and the aim of the game is to get the shuttlecock to land on your opponent’s side of the net. The key skills required for it are fast reflexes and good hand-eye coordination.

 

Contact: scotstubadm@gmail.com

Governing Body: Badminton Scotland

Badminton is becoming increasingly popular among students and the following Universities and Colleges all have a student team for those interested in joining:

 

 

  • Abertay University
  • University of Aberdeen
  • University of St Andrews
  • Heriot Watt University
  • Robert Gordon University
  • Glasgow Caledonian University
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Strathclyde
  • Fife College
  • City of Glasgow College
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Stirling
  • University of Dundee
  • Edinburgh Napier University
  • Queen Margret University

 

Badminton Events

 

  • Conference Finals
  • Badminton Championships
  • College National Finals

 

 

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