LOCAL badminton prodigy Rory Le Masurier has completed an outstanding season, littered with personal highlights.
The Victoria College student has regularly been competing in top-level badminton competitions at U13 and U15 level, as well as the Silver level for U17.
Competing in all three events – singles, doubles with Aarav Kotian (Kent), and mixed doubles alongside Ava Dodkins (Staffordshire) – Le Masurier has had quite the season.
The Caesarean has been invited to attend a number of Badminton England U13 “Collaboration Events” for the top eight ranked boys and girls in England over the year, culminating in an invitation to attend the Badminton England U13 Performance Programme and selection event for the U13 team attending the Swedish Youth Games.
This camp took place last month in Milton Keynes with the team yet to be announced.
In July, competing in the Swindon Stars U15 Silver tournament, Le Masurier landed a superb silver medal alongside Dodkins in the mixed doubles, backed up by a bronze in the doubles with Kotian, beating many pairs older than them en route to the latter tournament stages.
The following week, he was back in silver medal action again in the mixed doubles, this time at the DKWay U17 Silver.
The pair’s cohesion and teamwork stood out against opponents far older than them.
Moving into August, the left-handed dynamo paired up with new partner Anna Starling in the absence of Dodkins, and the new partnership secured a bronze at the Derbyshire U13 Gold tournament.
Competing in the singles event, he would ultimately miss out to some top young players.
However, the doubles is where he shone on this occasion, securing an outstanding gold with partner Kotian with an unbeaten run to the final, culminating in a thrilling three-set final for Le Masurier’s first gold medal win at gold tournament level.
Most recently, Le Masurier attended the Wiltshire U13 Gold tournament last weekend.
First up in the mixed doubles, back playing with Dodkins, the two secured another bronze medal finish after convincingly cruising through the group stages.
They drew the second seeds in the semi-final and, despite winning the first set, succumbed and were eventually beaten in three sets.
