Players had one eye on possible selection for the New Zealand Under 19 squad as they took to the court at the North Island Under 19 Badminton Championships in Rotorua over the weekend.
Those competing at the Rotorua Badminton Hall also had the chance to rack up Badminton NZ points to improve their national ranking.
Some, though, had other pressing concerns: Rotorua player and Western Heights High School student Ben Thomas said he decided to compete only in the doubles because it was his school ball on Saturday night.
Thomas, 16, and his Tauranga-based playing partner Chris Johnson did not get an easy ride of it on Saturday morning. Their first match came against the Australasian Under 17 Boys champion Oscar Guo and his partner Niccolo Tagle. The boys from the Bay went down in straight sets.
"He's way up there," Thomas said of Guo. "The players from North Harbour and Auckland are really good."