Bothwell badminton ace Kirsty (16) is on track for Commonwealth Games 2014

Nov 26 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

BOTHWELL teenager Kirsty Gilmour proved she’s on track for Commonwealth Games glory in 2014 after reaching the third round of the prestigious Bank of Scotland International Championships.

Competing in the women’s singles, reigning Scottish Under-19 Champion Kirsty (16) waltzed her way past Canadian Audrey Bonneville in her second-round match before being defeated by No.6 seed and 2000 champion Anu Nieminen of Finland.

Kirsty then partnered Kirsten Geals in the women’s doubles and reached the last 16 before being beaten by French fourth seeds Elisa Chanteur and Barbara Matias.

However, the fact that the Glasgow School of Sport pupil is competing with players of that calibre shows that she’s a rising star in the sport.

Dad Brian said: “BADMINTONscotland are really pushing Kirsty forward with an eye on 2014, and they’ve put her up for the Welsh Open in Cardiff this weekend and then the Irish Open from December 3-6. At 16, she’s going to be up against adult opposition and she’s going to lose fairly early on, but we’re setting realistic targets.

“Kirsty’s looking at qualifying for the events because there are a few preliminary rounds to get through, and then she’ll be up against a player in the world rankings.

“At the International Championships last weekend it was good for Kirsty because she got a comfortable win over an experienced player like Audrey Bonneville but then she came up against Anu Nieminen. She gave a good account of herself but was ultimately outgunned.

“Kirsty’s progress has been fantastic and while it’s going to look like she’s getting bad results in the next few months she’s going to be up against some of the best players in Europe; it’s all about gaining experience and keeping her feet on the ground and changing what her targets are.

“BADMINTONscotland are talking about sending Kirsty to the Uber Cup and the Commonwealth Games next year just for the experience but that will be up to sportscotland.

“I’m very encouraged at how BADMINTONscotland are pushing Kirsty but I’m not worried. There is no pressure on her at all as long as she keeps progressing, and she’s doing that at the moment.”

At the International Championships, Motherwell’s Fraser Michie and partner Kaity Hall were dumped out of the mixed doubles by Robert Blair and Jessica Fletcher, while Larkhall’s Keith Turnbull and Kirsten Geals were knocked out by Russian top seeds Vitalij Durkin and Nina Vislova.

However, Bellshill’s Andy Bowman was denied a chance to shine when partner Paul Van Rietvelde was ordered by a doctor to pull out of the men’s doubles due to a shin injury.

After being told to play only one event, Van Rietvelde opted for the mixed doubles.

Kyle Longmuir from Bothwell progressed through gruelling ties against Belgian Nathan Vervaeke and Renfrewshire’s Bruce Doran to move within one win of a place in the main draw.

But cramp flared up during his match with Doran and he was forced to call it quits at 18-7 in the first game against England’s Toby Penty for a place in the main draw.