Walthamstow Hall’s U14 badminton team are National Schools Champions after a stunning performance at the competition finals, held at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes on Sunday 29th April.
Walthamstow Hall students Sofia Bao, Hannah Sarshar, Annabel Sykes, Holly Williams and Rosie Williamson had been totally dominant in the qualifying rounds, not even dropping a game until the final of the regional competition.
They maintained this dominance into the Championships Finals. In the first round, the Walthamstow Hall team beat both Queen Elizabeth School and St Michael’s Church of England School 5-0. This ensured them a finish in the top three schools in England.
The students then faced the winners of the trophy for the previous two years: Arden School, whom they beat 5-0. The final against Colchester High School was tougher, but Wally still won with a very convincing 4-1 score line.
Walthamstow Hall’s Head of Sport Rachael Leggett said the result was all the more impressive when you considered that more than 6,400 schools entered this national schools competition [across all age groups] every year. She praised the girls for their consistently high standard of play.
She added “Special mention must go to Jo Muggeridge for her outstanding coaching and the exceptional level of commitment she has given to developing badminton at Wally. Within three years of her coaching here, Wally are National Champions.”
