IMOGEN Bankier will take to the court for a final time before her retirement at this weekend’s Yonex Scottish National Championships at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth.
The 28-year-old doubles specialist – an Olympian, World Championships runner-up and Glasgow 2014 bronze medal winner – is aiming to clinch her 10th successive mixed doubles title to add to her six women’s doubles victories.
Bankier and partner Robert Blair are aiming for their third title together. They begin their bid on Friday night with a 5pm clash against Alistair Gordon and Basia Grodynska, both from Edinburgh. Josh Neil (Prestwick) and Rebekka Findlay (Erskine), the 3/4 seeds, are expected to come through the draw to face Bankier and Blair in the semi-finals, scheduled for 8pm.
The other semi-final is likely to be between second seeds Adam Hall (Mauchline) and Eleanor O’Donnell (Beith) and the other 3/4 seeds Martin Campbell and Julie MacPherson (both Edinburgh). MacPherson was runner-up last year when partnering Hall.
Kieran Merrilees will bid for a fifth men’s singles title, but the Scottish No 1, who has not played competitively since hand surgery last month, may have to overcome a two-time former champion in his opening match on Saturday morning.
If Gordon Thomson defeats Mark Leith (Stonehaven) in the first round he will face fellow Glaswegian Merrilees in the second round in a clash of champions past and present. If Merrilees does take the title he will be the first player to win five titles since Bruce Flockhart, champion for an eighth and last time in 2004. Another former winner is also in first-round action, with three-time champion Craig Goddard (Blantyre) facing a tricky test against Anthony Grimley, the oldest of the three Glasgow brothers in the draw.
Merrilees is scheduled to meet 3/4 seed Alex Dunn (Motherwell) in Sunday morning’s semi-finals while South Queenferry’s second seed Matthew Carder, runner-up the last two years, is expected to face the other 3/4 seed, Ben Torrance (Prestwick), if they come through their second and third-round matches after starting with byes. In the women’s singles Glasgow’s Kirsty Gilmour is bidding to match Anne Robertson’s feat of five consecutive titles when she begins her challenge against the winner of the first-round clash between O’Donnell and Laura Muir of Renfrew.
Last year’s runner-up Holly Newall (Mauchline) is in the bottom half of the draw and is on course for a repeat of a closely-contested 2015 semi-final with second seed MacPherson.
Gilmour is also bidding for a fourth consecutive women’s doubles title. She defends her crown with new partner Findlay. The top seeds start against Emma Cook and Kaity Hall (both Mauchline) after both pairs received byes.
Campbell and Patrick MacHugh (Kinross) defend the men’s doubles title they won for the first time last year and begin against Jordan Philip (Carluke) and Darren Reid (Uddingston). Their main rivals are Glasgow’s two-time former champion and 2015 runner-up Robert Blair, who partners Adam Hall.
BADMINTONscotland chief executive Anne Smillie said: “The Yonex Scottish National championships are always a great event played in a friendly atmosphere. It is a great opportunity to both watch and meet Scotland stars past, present and future as our young prospects test themselves against our established players.”
Mixed doubles matches up to and including the semi-finals will be played on Friday from 5pm. The first and second rounds and quarter-finals in the other four events are on Saturday from 9.30am.
Sunday morning will feature semi-finals in singles and the other doubles from 10am with the five finals to be played from 1.45pm.
Tickets are available at Bell’s Sports Centre. For more information visit badmintonscotland.org.uk
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