Hughes: Badminton Team Ready For Challenge
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Danial Hughes, the Bermuda badminton player-coach, believes the NatWest International Island Games in Guernsey, the Channel Islands, will help their younger players come on leaps and bounds.
The badminton team have travelled to Guernsey with eight players – Hughes, Dezirae Darrell, Satya Darrell, Somers Stevenson, Aaron Simmons, Daljeet Singh Gadiwale, Jin Sun and Emma Moran Lee – and will compete in the individual, team, doubles, and mixed doubles competitions.
In the team event, Bermuda will face the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Froya, and the Falklands Islands in group D.
“We’ve tried to bring up our Bermudian contingent since the previous Games in Gibraltar [when Bermuda came thirteenth],” Hughes, competing at his fifth Games, told Bernews.
“We’ve lost some of our ex-pat team members since then. Even if the Bermudian players leave the island, they can still play in the Island Games.
“We’re in a transitional phase, and it will be tough in Guernsey. But if we dig in, hopefully, we can take the second spot in the group. We’re going to be up against some strong teams.”
Among Bermuda’s younger players are sisters Dezirae and Satya, 14 and 16, respectively, Stevenson, 14, and Simmons, the island’s top player, 20.
“Aaron has worked hard and is confident and excited,” Hughes, 46, said. “He’s been in the UK tuning up and has certainly put the effort in. He’s been a success story for us.”
Stevenson will leave Guernsey before the end of the badminton competition as she is representing Bermuda at the Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championships in St Vincent.
“We’d still like to attract more players to badminton, but there’s such competition in Bermuda for the different sports,” Hughes, a Welshman, added.
Bermuda badminton squad
Danial Hughes, Dezirae Darrell, Satya Darrell, Somers Stevenson, Aaron Simmons, Daljeet Singh Gadiwale, Jin Sun and Emma Moran Lee. Officials: Sinclair Ball, Harold Minors and Rebecca Pantaney.
