Badminton Pair Win Where All Whites Stumbled

25 November 2013

Badminton Pair Win Where All Whites Stumbled

Less than a week after the All Whites were beaten by Mexico in their FIFA World Cup play off, New Zealand’s top badminton doubles pairing of Oliver Leydon-Davis and Kevin Dennerly-Minturn have scored one of the Kiwis, winning the Mexico International Tournament in Guadalajara.

The 23 and 24 year old Denmark based combination overcame playing at altitude and the vocal home support as they defeated Mexican pairings from the quarter finals onwards, the Kiwi top seeds were pushed to 3 games in both the semi and the final.

“We had a close semi against well known friends Lino and Andreas winning 21-18 in the third,” said Leydon-Davis.

“In the final we played home town favourites Job Castillo and Antonio Ocegueda who played with a lot of heart and home crowd support. After a close loss in the first game we stepped up to win 21-12 21-7 in the final 2 games to take the title.”

The win is a huge boost for the young New Zealanders as they are chasing vital world ranking points to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year.

“It was a challenge to come across financially and mentally to a different continent and play in altitude and different conditions so we are very happy for the win. We will certainly take the chance to celebrate this and given we are in Mexico, it might be time for a Corona!”

The next tournament for the world number 60 ranked Kiwis as they traverse the globe in search of those ranking points is in Wales. Leydon-Davis (Waikato) and Dennerly-Minturn (Auckland) are seeded 7th for the Welsh International and will head from the high altitude of Mexico to the Valleys of Wales with a huge dose of confidence in their luggage.

Joining them in Wales will be fellow Kiwis Michelle Chan, Anna Rankin and Madeleine Stapleton.

Badminton New Zealand CEO Joe Hitchcock was delighted when news came through of the win.

“What a great result for a hard working and highly talented pair of young men. Both are fully committed to the sport and are making huge sacrifices in living away from home and travelling far and wide to earn ranking points.

“With the SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open set for Auckland next April and the Commonwealth Games also next year, this is a great fillip for the sport and in particular for Oliver and Kevin who continue to make great progress.”

Mexico International Badminton Tournament
Men’s Doubles

ends

© Scoop Media