U-16 singles titles for Vella and Mizzi

The national championships for juniors (U-13 and U-16) have been a regular feature on the Badminton Association's calendar for several years and are eagerly awaited by the emerging junior talents within its ranks.

Avner Vella and Andre Grech, last year's finalist, contested the U-16 boys' singles final. In earlier rounds, Vella defeated Jan Cutajar and Samuel Cali while Grech had the better of Sean Mifsud. In the final, Vella went on to defeat Grech 15-1 15-6.

Grech made up for this upset in the U-16 doubles event, where he was partnered by Cali. In the final, they defeated Terence Gatt/Kevin Spiteri 15-3 15-1 to claim the title.

The U-16 girls' singles final was contested by Maria Mizzi and 2004 finalist Jahel Briffa.

Mizzi had defeated Yvette Zarb and Mathilde Friggieri on her way to the final whereas Briffa had the better of Jeanella Grech. Mizzi went on to beat Briffa with an unequivocal 11-0 11-8 score.

Mizzi also excelled in the doubles where she was partnered by Zarb. They beat title-holders Friggieri and Grech at the end of a balanced match - 15-8 15-10.

The U-13 championships focused solely on the singles event. Cheryl Dimech showed her promising talent by winning the girls' title while Andre Grech prevailed over the other participants in the competition for boys.

The activities of the Badminton Association will now continue next Sunday with more fixtures from the first and second divisions of the H2Only Mixed League.