After the highly successful preliminary rounds of the Shuttle Time Dubai Schools Championships, the top six boys and girls teams and the finalists in the Emirati Challenge put their skills to the test in the finals of the Schools Championships at the Salah Addin Sports Hall last week.
The young players had won their way through to the Schools Championships Finals after strong performances in the respective championships held earlier in the month.
They were joined in the Finals by the top ranked players in the Emirati Badminton Challenge, which ran alongside the Schools Championships.
More than 455 players from 28 schools participated across the three rounds of the Championships, a 50% increase on the number of competitors in 2015.
The Indian High School again dominated the competition, winning four of the six categories and finishing runner up in the other two.
Their first victory came in the Boys Under 12 category, defeating Our Own High School Al Warqa’a, 2-0. Our Own High School Al Warqua’a turned the tables in the U14 competition though, defeating The Indian High School 2-1.
The Indian High School’s second category win came in the Boys Under 16 division where they recorded a 2-0 over Gems Our Own Indian School.
Athari Ali was one of the Emirati challengers.
In the girls divisions, The Indian High School triumphed in the Under 14 event with a 3-0 win over GEMS Our Own English High School, while also posting a 3-0 win over GEMS Our Own Indian School in the Under 16 division.
In the girls Under 12 category, Dubai Gems Private School broke the Indian High School’s run, winning 2-1.
In the Emirati challenge girls’ divisions, the Al Ebdaa Model School and the Dubai International School Al Quoz shared the honours.
The Dubai International School’s Shaikha Ahmad took out the girls Under 12 division over schoolmate Athari Ali.
In the Under 14 division Al Ebdaa Model School’s Hend Al Moazan defeated Shaikha Saeed of Dubai International School.
Al Ebdaa Model School also won the Girl’s Under 16 division with Hind Almehairi defeating Rouda Saeed of Dubai International School.
In the boy’s divisions the honours were shared, with Mohammed Naqi of Al- Ahmadiya School defeating Juma Ahmed Juma of Al Qiyam School in the Under 12 division, and Mahammed Ali of Dubai National School emerging U14 winner over school mate Abdullah Zubair.
Finally, Ahmad Ibrahim of Dubai International School Al Quoz was victorious in the Under 16 division, defeating Zayed Al Shamsi of Dubai National School.
