10.13.09
Bearsden Native Wins Scottish National Badminton Tourney
Promising badminton player Andrew Gilliland is preparing himself for the bigger badminton stage as the talented athlete from Bearsden outlasted all his rivals to win the Scottish National Under-19 Badminton Singles Championship held in Edinburgh last weekend. He defeated Queensferry’s bet Matthew Carder in an exciting finals match.
Gilliland has now the best chance to make it big in the seniors circuit following this second major win.
In the finals, Gilliland lost the first set in a tight margin but eventually prevailed in the next two sets without as much as breaking a sweat. The final score was 19-21, 21-15, 21-6.
Earlier in the day, the young player defeated Danny Leinster of Glasgow 21-4, 21-11. During the match, he showed some of his best moves with the badminton shuttlecock that impressed the crowds.
Aside from this victory, Gilliland clinched the Bulgarian Junior Under19 Championships last August. He managed to juggle his badminton career and education as he’s currently studying at Caledonian University taking up Physiotherapy.
In an interview after his final match, the young player said that as a seeded player, he was pressured to make it to the latter stages of the tournament. He added that he’s happy to have won the title which means that his rigid training for the past weeks paid off.
He revealed that he’s been doing weights and running for more than 20 hours per week but stressed that he still manages to squeeze time to study and have leisure time with family.
