BCBA Senior Restricted 2026
Neelakandan and Ambrose lead the honours at Berkshire Senior Restricted
Berkshire’s leading badminton players took to the court on Saturday, 26 September, for the 2026 BCBA Senior Restricted Championships, producing a full day of competitive action and crowning four new county champions.
Advait Neelakandan captured the Men’s Singles title, while Sam Farrow and Christopher Gilbert claimed the Open Doubles championship. Anushka Ambrose enjoyed an exceptional tournament, winning both the Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles.
Neelakandan dominates the singles
Neelakandan was in commanding form throughout the Men’s Singles knockout stages and completed his championship campaign without dropping a game.
After beating Theodore Plienmolee 21–12, 21–13 in the quarter-final, he faced Jimmy Bilek in the last four. Neelakandan maintained his momentum, winning 21–12, 21–10 to book a place in the final.
His opponent in the title match was Rajsekhar Kandala, who had recovered from losing the opening game of his quarter-final against Rooney Leung to win 12–21, 21–13, 21–12. Kandala then defeated Nathan Johnson 21–12, 21–14 in the semi-final.
Neelakandan proved too strong in the final, however, producing another assured performance to win 21–9, 21–14 and secure the Men’s Singles crown.
Farrow and Gilbert take the Open Doubles title
The Open Doubles competition concluded with an emphatic victory for Sam Farrow and Christopher Gilbert.
The eventual champions opened their knockout campaign with a 21–12, 21–9 win over Christopher Cherrington and Agha Saud Khan. They were tested more closely by Chris Hudson and Jack Wills in the semi-final but held their nerve to advance 21–16, 22–20.
On the opposite side of the draw, James Cooper and Tim Sharpe defeated Jimmy Bilek and Theodore Plienmolee 21–19, 22–20 before overcoming Yat Long Cheung and Ravishangar Rajmohan 21–12, 21–19.
Farrow and Gilbert saved their most convincing performance for the final, beating Cooper and Sharpe 21–9, 21–14 to become the 2026 Open Doubles champions.
Unbeaten Ambrose and Mahesh secure Women’s Doubles crown
Anushka Ambrose and Meghna Mahesh emerged as the class of the Women’s Doubles round-robin competition, completing their programme without defeat.
Their decisive result came against top seeds Jemima Ellis and Tranthini Kumaravel. Ambrose and Mahesh won that meeting 21–19, 21–17 before recording straight-game victories over Alexane Blyth and Sophie Mercure, and Claire Pickett and Frances Ward.
Ellis and Kumaravel responded strongly to their only defeat, beating the other two pairings to finish as runners-up, but Ambrose and Mahesh’s unbeaten record earned them the championship.
Ambrose completes memorable double
Ambrose returned to court later in the day alongside Akramul Islam Chowdhury in the Mixed Doubles competition.
The pair swept past Jordan Beardmore and Alexane Blyth 15–4, 15–13 in their semi-final. Dan Newton and Sophie Mercure joined them in the title match after defeating Tim Sharpe and Claire Pickett 15–7, 15–9.
The final was much closer, particularly in the second game, but Chowdhury and Ambrose prevailed 15–12, 16–14. The result completed a memorable championship double for Ambrose following her earlier Women’s Doubles triumph.
The 2026 champions
Men’s Singles: Advait Neelakandan
Open Doubles: Sam Farrow and Christopher Gilbert
Women’s Doubles: Anushka Ambrose and Meghna Mahesh
Mixed Doubles: Akramul Islam Chowdhury and Anushka Ambrose
The tournament provided an entertaining showcase for senior badminton in Berkshire, with close contests, determined performances and worthy champions across all four events. Congratulations go to every player who competed and to the organisers and volunteers whose work made the day possible.