It is the sixth time that the Nationals have been staged in Manchester, and with the event being held between 30th January and 1st February, it will have special significance this year as it marks the start of a 16-month period when badminton will be at the forefront of North-West sporting action.
Straight after the 2009 English Nationals comes the European Team Championships at the Echo Arena, Liverpool (10th - 15th February). This represents the first leg of a double header, as in April 2010 the European Individual Championships will come to Manchester – alongside the 2010 Nationals, of course.
The European Championships has only been to England twice – both times in Preston, in 1978 and 1984. But the Liverpool and Manchester dates mark the first time the European team and individual championships have been stand-alone events.
The 2009 English Nationals gives badminton fans a chance to see some of Team England’s stars in action as they compete for a record £12,000 prize fund.
The Velodrome has been a happy hunting ground for two players in particular. Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg, the new European Mixed Doubles champions, are the only two players to have won titles every year since the Nationals moved
to Manchester.
Clark, in fact, is the only player to have won the same event five years in a row in Manchester – he won the Men’s Doubles with his Nottinghamshire pal Nathan Robertson in 2004, with Simon Archer in 2005, Robert Blair in 2006 and 2007 and then this year he teamed up with Robertson to win again. Now they are back together on the world circuit and aiming for domestic and international honours.
Kellogg has won four Women’s Doubles in a row – three with the now retired Gail Emms, and this year with Tracey Hallam following Gail’s withdrawal through illness. Donna also won the Mixed Doubles with Archer in 2004 before winning the last two years with Clark.
In Mixed, therefore Clark and Kellogg are the pair to beat as they aim for a hat-trick of titles. They are in the world’s top 10 and are England’s No 1 pair – although Robertson and new partner Jenny Wallwork will want to challenge that status at the Velodrome.
With Emms retired after a glittering career, it will remain to be seen who two-time European Champion Kellogg teams up with in Women’s Doubles for the future.
Elizabeth Cann is another player going for three titles in a row. In fact, the Middlesex-based Jersey star is out to win her fourth Women’s Singles title overall – and she has the incentive of knowing there is a record prize for the Women’s Singles winner. For the first time the top woman will scoop the same amount as the best man.
Hampshire teenager Panuga Riou will be among the young London 2012 prospects who will be ready to put in a singles challenge along with three-times runner-up Jill Pittard, new England cap Sarah Walker, Cheshire’s promising Helen Davies, and Sarah Renton, who reached the quarter-finals last year.
In the Men’s Singles Rajiv Ouseph will be looking to dominate his event, especially following the retirement of Middlesex team- mate and two-time champion Aamir Ghaffar.
Ghaffar, the winner of the Men’s Singles in the first two years in Manchester and runner-up to Ouseph last year, is ineligible now that he has turned to coaching at Brunel University – where Ouseph is one of the players coming under his guidance.
But Canadian-born Carl Baxter is among the dangers to Ouseph. The Avon player is newly-qualified for England and his climb up the world rankings has been pronounced this season, especially after he reached the French Open quarter-finals at the end of October.
They are the players to watch at an event attracting 120 players from 30 counties and made possible by the special partnership between BADMINTON England, Manchester City Council, racket and equipment suppliers Carlton, badminton retailers www.sportdiscount.com and new partner Imperial Consultants. The English Nationals also receive support from the Manchester Evening News.
2008 Champions:
Men’s Singles:
Rajiv Ouseph (Middx)
Women’s Singles:
Elizabeth Cann (Middx)
Men’s Doubles:
Anthony Clark &
Nathan Robertson (Notts)
Women’s Doubles:
Tracey Hallam (Staffs) &
Donna Kellogg (Derbyshire)
Mixed Doubles:
Anthony Clark (Notts) &
Donna Kellogg (Derbyshire)
New partner for the English Nationals
Imperial Consultants, the UK’s foremost specialist buildings validation company, has been unveiled as a new partner for the 2009 English National Championships.
Kevin Skillin, Managing Director of Imperial Consultants and a badminton enthusiast, said: “It is a great honour for my company to sponsor the English National Champion-ships and, having lived and worked in the North-West all my life, it is a pleasure to be putting something back into the community which has given me so much. “If previous years are anything to go by we are in for a feast of badminton over the three days and I hope my company’s investment will help the tournament grow even more.”
Jim Quigley, Head of Major Sports Events and Partnerships, Manchester City Council, said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Imperial Consultants on board to the 2009 English National Badminton Championships and I hope that this will be the start of a long and mutually successful partnership with Manchester City Council.”
Looking for line judges
The English Nationals coincides with a recruitment drive by Manchester Leisure as it looks to train new, young line judges to officiate at the Championships. Tournament director Nicola Moloney explained: “It is one of the benefits of having a new partner on board in Imperial Consultants. It is keen for there to be a lasting legacy behind its support and we hope to be able to recruit and train youngsters to be line judges not just for the two English Nationals in 2009 and 2010 but also for the 2010 European Individual Championships.”
Kate Holland, Badminton Development Officer for Manchester Leisure, has the task of finding the young men and women to undergo training under the Young Officials initiative. “We are looking to train 12 youngsters to officiate at the Nationals.”
She is also organising the annual Manchester Schools Badminton Championships, the final of which is featured as the curtain-raiser to the finals day action at the Velodrome.
Kate explained: “This year we ran a separate doubles competition at Under 16 level with the final to be played at the Nationals. Thirty pairs entered over the girls’ and boys’ event. The pairs that will be playing in the finals are representing Our Lady’s Sports College and North Manchester High School for Boys.
Tickets are now on sale with early-booking prices starting at £5.40 and rising to £9 for finals day. To buy tickets check out www.ticketmaster.co.uk or phone them on 0844 847 1552 to make credit card purchases (there are concessions for BADMINTON England members or Under 16s and senior citizens).
Issued by iSPORTgroup.com