The Pilton Year 10 badminton squad arrived at the south west regional round of the National Schools' Championships with fire in their belly, ready for battle. Our first match was against St Augustine school form Bristol, where we had a convincing 4-1 win. Everyone raised their game and showed great team spirit. Next, we faced Truro College and sliced through the opposition with some exceptional badminton. Kai and Harris stormed through their singles, while Bobby, Tom and Sam remained poised and focussed in an amazing spectacle. The crowd were on their feet as Sam blasted the winning strike to take us through to the finals as winners of our round. We were up against Pate school from Gloucestershire in the finals . A team clearly steeped in badminton tradition, moving around the court like swifts. Still, we maintained our poise and held our ground. Kai was up first and fought well against the lightning speed of his opponent. Harris secured a victory with flair and skill while Bobby and Tom left it all on the court in each doubles match. Alas, victory was not to be ours on this occasion. However, we left with our heads held high, as second place Southwest regional finalists. Coach Irwin reassured the boys that we would be back next year to win and I have no doubt that this will happen. It was a true privilege to spend the day with this fantastic group of boys, to watch them conduct themselves with such composure, skill, and respect for one another. Thanks to Chie for her support from the sidelines and our parents for nurturing these boys to become the fine young men that represent Pilton Community College. Mrs Hill.
