Elgin Academy pupil Callum McWhirter, 15, defeats adult opposition to win Highland Badminton Group doubles title in Fortrose
A Moray teenager who has dominated the north under-17 court has triumphed at senior level.
Elgin Academy pupil Callum McWhirter won the men’s doubles title at the Highland Badminton Group Senior Restricted tournament in Fortrose.
The 15-year-old teamed up with experienced Caithness player Mark Mackay to win the doubles, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the men’s singles.
McWhirter, who has represented Scotland at youth level, competed at the Black Isle leisure centre on Friday and Saturday against the best players from across the Highland Badminton Group area.
A total of 19 men and 11 women took part in the competition, with McWhirter battling the age group to excel against adult opponents.
The level doubles were held on Saturday morning and in the men’s event, the top two pairs from each of the two groups qualified for the main draw and the rest going into the consolation round.
In the semi-finals, McWhirter and Mackay took on Orkney duo Sam Groundwater and Erlend Ballantine and won 21-18, 21-13.
In the final they met Thomas Calder from Shetland and Callum Craig representing Inverness club Great Glen. It produced some hard-fought rallies before McWhirter and Mackay won 21-17, 21-18.
McWhirter had also competed really well in the men’s singles on the previous evening.
The event was played over three groups and then the plays-off for the main overall winner and also a consolation play-off. McWhirter finished top of group C to march into the main draw.
He played in the second quarter-final and was again opposed by Orkney’s Sam Groundwater , with the Elgin player winning 21-13, 21-18.
McWhirter finally met his match in the semi-finals with experienced Shetland player Thomas Calder defeating him 21-10, 21-13.
Calder was beaten in a three-set final by McWhirter’s men’s doubles partner Mackay.
In the mixed doubles, McWhirter paired up with Caithness youngster Chloe Mackenzie, where they finished runners-up in their group and lost out in the quarter-finals.
A tournament spokesperson said: “A massive thank you to all the players that came along to compete, all the volunteers that helped behind the scenes and on the day to make these competitions possible to run.
“Also, thanks to all the staff at the Fortrose Leisure Centre and once again to City Plumbing, Inverness for their kind sponsorship.”
