BADMINTON players from Durban Girls’ High School won the SA High Schools Championships this week. The finals were held at KZN Badminton Hall in Morningside on Monday, August 8. Matches kicked off on Saturday, August 6 with some tough competition on the court.
Speaking to Berea Mail, Durban Girls’ High School Badminton coach Gilles Audibert said his team will represent South Africa in Mauritius at the All Africa Championships.
“This upcoming tournament in Mauritius hosts the best of the best from countries in Africa. We are hoping to put the funds together to get there,” he said.
Audibert added that this is the first time in Durban Girls’ High School history that a badminton team has made it to the national finals.
“I am so impressed with my team’s performance. Considering that two of our players just started playing badminton three years ago, this is a huge achievement. This was the first time we not only made it to the finals but won,” he said.
Callista Ramowtar, who is on the Durban Girls’ High School team, recently represented South Africa in the U15 category in an international tournament in Benin.
Several other Berea schools took part in the event, including Durban High School and Durban Girls’ College.
Emelda Botha, junior chairperson for KZN Badminton, and national junior selector for Badminton South Africa, said there were seven teams participating in the boys’ category and seven teams in the girls’ category.
In the girls’ category, Durban Girls’ High School placed first, followed by Thandi E Sibeco Secondary School in second place and Alberton Girls’ High School in third position. The Westville Boys’ High School team placed first in the boys’ category, followed by Jim Fouche School in second place and Durban High School in third position.
Botha noted a decline in participants following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The tournament went really well. Lots of fun was had by all, and we hope to see the number of participants increase going forward. The last time we held this tournament, there were 33 teams. This year, we had just 14 teams enter,” she said.
The national tournament is held annually in various provinces.
