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AIS - Scots 10th in World Junior Championships

The four Scottish badminton teenagers competing down under in the World Junior Championships in Auckland, New Zealand finished a creditable 10th out of the 27 countries playing in the team event.

After leading 2-1, the Scots lost a close play off for ninth place 3-2 against England on Saturday night.  England and Scotland were the highest European countries in the team event;  the top eight were all Asian.

The Scots - who whitewashed European silver medallists, the Netherlands 3-0 on Thursday then thrashed the host nation 3-0 the following day - were the first ever to compete in the World Junior Championships and are self-funding their trip.

The Scottish team is comprised of Glasgow sisters Linda and Gillian Sloan (Whitecraigs, Scottish Institute of Sport and West of Scotland Institute of Sport respectively), Kieran Merrilees (Kelvindale, supported by West of Scotland Institute of Sport) and Paul van Rietvelde (Longniddry, East of Scotland Institute of Sport).  Their coach is the former national singles and doubles champion, Rita Yuan Gao.

Merrilees, aged 18, has been the Scottish National Under 19 singles champion for the last two years.  His doubles partner is Van Rietvelde, (16), with whom he holds the national Under 19 title.

Linda Sloan (18) was a member of Scotland's Sudirman Cup world team championship squad in June, is the 2004 Under 19 champion and the two-time Under 23 champion.  Her younger sister Gillian (16) won the Under 19 National doubles title in 2005 and 2006, while Linda won the under 23 title this year.  Gillian and Van Rietvelde are the new National Under 19 champions.


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