Dan Bethell ended a memorable year on a high by becoming a triple champion at the UK Para Badminton Championships.
The Paralympic silver medallist was on top form in Sheffield, coming out on top in the men’s singles SL3 category, the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 alongside Emma Stoner and the men’s doubles SL3-4 with William Smith.
Bethell won the singles without dropping a game, coming through Group A unscathed before getting past Colin Leslie in the last four and Alan Oliver in the final, which finished 21-8, 21-11 in the Englishman’s favour.
The mixed doubles saw Bethell and Stoner overcome three other pairs to head the group of four, again without dropping a game, and Bethell was also flawless in the men’s doubles as he and Smith comfortably topped the group with three wins from three.
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Bethell’s Paralympic teammates also enjoyed success, with Jack Shephard taking the men’s SH6 crown following a titanic battle with Krysten Coombs.
Coombs came out on top when the two met in Tokyo on his way to a bronze medal but Shephard – who overcame Isaak Dalglish in the last four – started in commanding form in the Steel City and took the opening game 21-12.
Coombs fought back hard in the second but Shephard prevailed 23-21 to claim the title.
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The Devonian did not leave Sheffield empty handed, however, earning success in both the SH6 men’s and mixed doubles.
Dalglish was Coombs’ partner in the men’s and they beat Shephard and Isaac Maison in the decisive match to top the group of three.
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And Coombs and Shephard were on opposing sides of the net once more in the mixed, which saw the former team up with Rachel Choong to claim a 21-10, 21-8 victory over Shephard and Anya Butterworth.
Choong also defeated Butterworth in the women’s SH6 final, 21-7, 21-7, on a successful weekend for the 10-time world champion.
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Paralympian Martin Rooke won the men’s singles WH2 title, beating David Follett in straight games in the final, while Follett topped the WH1 table.
Antony Forster led the way in the men’s SL4 category, with Robert Donald second to Wales’ Jack Wilson in the men’s SU5 competition.
The women’s WH2 singles honours went the way of Sharon Jones-Barnes, who beat Jasmine Lidster 21-15, 21-17 in an all-English final, and the two teamed up to win the WH1-2 doubles.
The mixed WH1-2 doubles saw Jones-Barnes on the winning side once more as she teamed up with Peter Gregory to beat Lidster and Owen Kilburn 21-9, 21-18.
Sophie Silcock also enjoyed a memorable tournament, topping the women’s singles SL4 standings and winning the SL3-SU5 doubles alongside Cambell Plant.
