Team Scotland has been drawn against New Zealand, Guernsey and Seychelles in Group C for the Team Event which starts the 11-day Badminton competition at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
In the individual event second seed Kirsty Gilmour has a first-round bye in the Women’s Singles and should not be tested until she faces New Zealand’s sixth seed Michelle Chan in the quarter-finals.
But it is a different story in the Women’s Doubles where Gilmour and Imogen Bankier face a tough start against England’s fourth seeds Gabby Adcock and Lauren Smith in the pick of the first-round matches.
Third seeded Mixed Doubles pairing Bankier and Robert Blair, who defeated Chris and Gabby Adcock on the way to the Yonex German title earlier this year, have been drawn in the same half as the Hong Kong Open Superseries winners.
Blair and Bankier will be boosted by the fact that they have already been on the podium in the Emirates Arena this season, having won the Scottish Open Grand Prix in November.
In the Men’s SinglesKieran Merrilees is eighth seed and begins against Richard Cribb of Norfolk Island. In the Men’s Doubles Martin Campbell and Patrick MacHugh begin against Afjan Rasheed and Nasheau Sharafuddeen of the Maldives in the second round.
Blair and Paul Van Rietvelde also start with a bye before their first big test, which should come against Canadian fifth seeds Adrian Liu and Derrick Ng.
Van Rietvelde also faces Liu in the Mixed Doubles. He and Jillie Cooper take on the Canadian and his partner Michelle Li in the first round, with Singapore’s second seeds Danny Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo awaiting the winners in the second round.
The Team Event starts on Thursday at the Emirates Arena with Scotland facing Seychelles in the morning session and Guernsey the same evening, with the New Zealand match on Friday evening.
Groups:
Group A: Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Barbados
Group B: India, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana
Group C: Scotland, New Zealand, Guernsey, Seychelles
Group D: Australia, Canada, Falkland Island, Wales
Group E: Singapore, Norfolk Island, South Africa, Jamaica
Group F: England, Mauritius, Jersey, Northern Ireland
Team Event: Thursday-Monday. Individual Event: Tuesday-Sunday week
Photo Credit: Jeff Holmes