Polished Albany Green secure inaugural Great Southern Invitational in successful tournament inception

A polished Albany Green took out the Great Southern Badminton Association’s inaugural Great Southern Invitational ahead of a gallant Manjimup side at the weekend. More than 30 avid amateur badminton players from across the State’s south braved the warm and humid conditions at the Carnaby’s Function Centre on Saturday for the first tournament of its kind. Green finished with a staggering 64 wins and 1429 points, 14 wins ahead of a Manjimup outfit that accumulated 1365 points. Bunbury rounded out the top three with 44 victories and 1177 points. Albany Blue finished fourth with 24 points, two clear of Mt Barker (22) while Denmark finished last with 21. GSBA chair Michelle Watson said the tournament was a major success, particularly in trying conditions. “The first Great Southern tournament was a resounding success with the event running smoothly across the day,” she said. “Considering the humidity everyone did really well to get through the day and with so many close games across each of the five rounds it was obvious from the fierce competition that there was a lot of team pride on the line.” The competition was made possible by diligent volunteers throughout the day and has paved the way for future tournaments alike. “Competitors were able to concentrate on playing some extraordinary badminton, due in no small part to an amazing job behind the scenes from a small group of hardworking volunteers,” Ms Watson said. “Also on display was some amazing sportsmanship, with members of the Manjimup team volunteering to fill in for the Albany Blue team throughout the tournament. “We are very pleased to have introduced this new tournament to the badminton calendar as it is important for us to continue to develop within the region. “Players will now look to compete in various other tournaments including the Collie tournament, held in late June and the Albany tournament on the first weekend in August.”