Clayhall resident impressed at event in Milton Keynes

Clayhall teenager Brandon Yap collected two silver medals at the recent Under-19 National Badminton Championships.

Yap came second in both the men’s singles and men’s doubles, surpassing expectations at the competition in Milton Keynes.

It was a superb debut at the under-19 nationals for Yap after taking two bronze medals at the under-17 event last year.

Trained by his dad, who is a former badminton player who previously represented Malaysia, Yap accrued enough qualification points from September through to January to reach this year’s nationals.

In the men’s singles, Yap recovered from a shaky start in his opening match to eventually triumph.

After losing the first game, Yap rallied, winning the second decisively before eventually pulling away in the final game to win.

The Clayhall youngster came through the second round comfortably to reach the quarter-finals, which also yielded a quick-fire win for Yap.

After taking some time to settle into his semi-final tie, Yap eventually emerged triumphant to reach the final.

There, the teenager gave it his best shot, but it proved a bridge too far as he lost 21-14, 21-18 to finish as runner-up.

In the men’s doubles, Yap and his playing partner performed well in the earlier stages to reach the final, which proved to be a real nailbiter.

Team Yap took the lead by winning the opening game, but their opponents were resurgent in the second.

In the end, Yap and his team mate came up just short as they lost 20-21. 21-12, 21-18, giving the Clayhall man his second silver of the nationals.

Yap had also qualified for the mixed doubles, but gallantly went out in the quarter-finals of that competition.

However, it was still successful end as the season draws to a close for Yap, with only a handful more local and international events.

After that, it will be time for Yap to knuckle down and concentrate on his upcoming GCSE exams, which are just as important as sporting success to the Clayhall teenager.