Scotland hosts the 2023 4 Nations Graded International
By Keegan Friel
On 19 and 20 August, Scotland hosted the 2023 4 Nations Graded International at the Sir Craig Reedie Badminton Centre, just outside of Glasgow. This was the third iteration of the event, previously hosted by Ireland in 2019 and Wales in 2022.
The 4 Nations Graded International provides opportunities for club-level players to compete on behalf of their country against other similar-level teams from the four nations – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Scottish players for the 2023 event were selected from Scottish B and C grade events during the 2022/23 season, with Teams E and F made up from results of B grades, and Teams G and H made up from results of C grades.
| Team E
Nick D’arcy-Evans Emma Gale Laura Muir Andrew Reid Rebecca Reid |
Team F
Salim Ben Boudinar Daniel Innes Joanne Pottinger Peter Sawkins Alison Shearer |
Team G
Craig Armstrong Gregg Gillan Chloe Hitchin Fiona Simpson |
Team H
James Connell Keegan Friel Stephanie Keith Amanda Li Lynette Pollock |
The team improved on the results from the 2022 event in Cardiff where they brought home 1 silver and 2 bronzes. This year, the team secured two silvers (for Teams F and H), and two bronzes (for Team E and G). However, the standout squad from the weekend was the Welsh team, who won an impressive three golds and one bronze across the four grades.
TEAM EVENT RESULTS
| Grade E
1st – Wales 2nd – England 3rd – Scotland 4th – Ireland |
Grade F
1st – Wales 2nd – Scotland 3rd – England 4th – Ireland |
Grade G
1st – Wales 2nd – England 3rd – Scotland 4th – Ireland |
Grade H
1st – England 2nd – Scotland 3rd – Wales 4th – Ireland |
Making a second appearance in the Scottish team, Joanne Pottinger played for Team F with impressive results across the board. Joanne, who lives in Orkney and plays on the islands at sessions run by Orkney Badminton Association, started playing badminton with her Granny when she was really young. “I wasn’t much bigger than the racket!” she recalls.
“I feel truly honoured to get to pull on a Scotland shirt. I love the experience, getting lots of competitive games and the atmosphere in the hall was brilliant. Being a part of Team F, a great bunch of folk, was my favourite part of the weekend. Also, I loved meeting new people from the other nations and playing with my partner Jamie [Noble] from Wales in the social mixed event.”
Joanne concludes, “My memorable moment was our ladies doubles match against England. I had already lost my singles to a strong opponent. In the dubs, the first set was close going to the wire and England nicked it 22-20. But in the next two sets, me and Ali [Shearer] clicked, stepped up a gear and turned it around to win 21-10, 21-14. This meant we won the overall tie 4-1! After losing a close match with England last year, it was great to take them this time!”
A number of players were selected to play for Scotland for the first time this year, earning their first country cap in the process. This included Lynette Pollock of Dunfermline (Team H) and Andrew Reid of Orkney (Team E).
Lynette, who started playing badminton at 7 years old with her Mum and Dad, added “It was a great experience. I was really proud to be there wearing my Scottish kit, holding the Scottish flag, and seeing other teams with theirs. Getting to support each other, talking with players across the nations, getting to know them and having a laugh as well as playing competitive badminton against them were particular highlights.”
“However, for me, the most memorable moment was during our game against Wales. Our Women’s Doubles was the decider match for the guaranteed silver or bronze medal, and having my team supporting us to push through and get the win and make the tie 3-2 in our favour… I was really proud how we all came together.”
Reflecting on his badminton journey, Andrew said “I have played badminton for as long as I remember – I don’t remember ever not playing badminton! I currently train in Orkney at the Pickaquoy Centre and KGS. I regularly travel to Glasgow and surrounding areas for tournaments – which is enjoyable but also very tiring!
“The experience at the 2023 4 Nations has been brilliant, a great honour. Team spirit has been great and the standard of badminton is at a very competitive level.”
When asked for his most memorable moment, Andrew said “I really enjoyed my level doubles match against England playing with Nick [D’Arcy-Evans]; it was our third game of the day and only our third game playing together. We clicked very well together in that match, but narrowly lost out 21-19 in the third set.”
Full results across all team events can be found on Tournament Software.
BALLOTED DOUBLES EVENT
This year, as well as the usual team event, a second day was added to the schedule. This introduced a balloted event to allow players from different countries to compete together for a fun, social tournament. Initially planned as a balloted mixed doubles event, it was changed on the day to a doubles balloted event due to withdrawals.
In the E/F graded event, the final saw Zarak Khan (England) and Terrie Dalton (Wales) take on their respective teammates in Jack Elvis (Wales) and Rosheen Postlewhite (England). Khan/Dalton took the gold with a close-fought win of 21-18, with Dalton proving to be a formidable competitor across the entire weekend, where she didn’t drop a set or game in any of her matches.
Elsewhere in G/H, there was a blend of mixed and level double pairings competing against each other. An impressive run from Barry Garnham of Wales and Ellen Davison of England meant they met Keegan Friel of Scotland and James Mitchell of Wales in the final. Friel/Mitchell claimed the win 21-13, however given the event was originally planned as a mixed doubles event, Friel swapped the gold for a silver to ensure Davison was rightly awarded the gold for being the most successful female player in the G/H grade.
| Grade E/F
Winners Zarak Khan (England) Terrie Dalton (Wales)
Runners Up Jack Elvis (Wales) Rosheen Postlewhite (England) |
Grade G/H
Winners James Mitchell (Wales) Ellen Davison (England)
Runners Up Keegan Friel (Scotland) Barry Garnham (Wales)
|
All results from the Balloted Doubles event can be found on Tournament Software.
A huge thanks to the organisers and volunteers for making the event such a success and run so smoothly: Peter Dean of Badminton Scotland, John Holland as tournament referee, and Stephen Hendry as match controller.
The next edition of the 4 Nations Graded International will take place in Milton Keynes, hosted by Badminton England, on 17 and 18 August 2024. Players across Scotland are encouraged to enter B and C grade events this season if they’d like to be considered for the 2024 team. Selection criteria can be found on our website.