BADMINTON: Cirencester College pair take gold in AOC National finals

This year’s event was held in Newcastle, and Andy and Andrew took first place in the badminton doubles after a fast-paced match against a pair from King George V College without dropping a set.

In addition to badminton, Cirencester College also had competitors in cross country, swimming and tennis.

Cross country produced a silver medal in the individual for Zoe Wassell and a team gold.

Zoe is now ranked in the top 15 runners in the UK in her age group and discipline.

Becky Cook won the 100m breaststroke as part of the team event.

There were no medals for the college's mixed doubles pair, Rebecca Giles and Tayten Nyahwa, nor for Matt Daniels and Elliott Kami in the men’s doubles. But both pairs played extremely well and their matches were very close.

Chris James, head of faculty for science and sport, said: “The students were amazing. So professional in every way, including pre-match preparation, nutrition and sportsmanship.

"The good news is that many of these students are in their first year, so will be in a position to build on the success during next year’s competition.”

Tennis player Elliott Kami summed up the experience for the students, saying: “The AOC Championships was definitely an experience I would recommend to any athlete who wants to challenge themselves in some of the toughest competitive atmospheres you could experience at this stage of your life.

"For someone who has always competed individually, I felt that everybody taking part worked as a team to achieve the best results possible.

"Overall the AOC is a fantastic competition and I can't wait for next year.”

For more information please contact Chris James on 01285 640994 or email chris.james@cirencester.ac.uk. For more information about sport at Cirencester College, take a look at the website www.cirencester.ac.uk or email student.journey@cirencester.ac.uk.