Saunders wins triple badminton crown

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC)

Multiple Caribbean champion Nigella Saunders swept three titles in another impressive haul at the bMobile All Jamaica Badminton Championship that ended on Sunday night at the Constant Spring Golf Club.

Saunders, who won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic and qualified to appear at the Athens Olympics, dropped a game against Alya Lewis before landing the women's singles title.

She also won the women's doubles and mixed doubles crowns.

No.2 Lewis, her doubles partner, proved fairly competitive, but the top-seeded Saunders ran out a 21-10, 15-21, 21-14 winner.

Saunders and Lewis combined to take the women's doubles over veteran Debra O'Conner and Christine Leyow-Mayne 21-16, 21-16, and Bradley Graham was her partner in the mixed doubles final, which they won 21-18, 21-13 over Lewis and Garron Palmer.

Graham won the men's singles title over the No.1 seed Charles Pyne 21-13, 21-15.

Saunders copped the most outstanding player award in the seniors category, while the 16-year-old Shenelle Peart, who copped five junior titles, a triple in the Under-17 age group and a double in the under 19s, was tops for the juniors.