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NATIONALS NEWS
16-Jan-07:
Hunt and Archer to team up
for the Nationals ... |
FORMER European champions Chris Hunt and Simon Archer
are to team up for one last time at the English National Badminton
Championships at the Velodrome in Manchester's Sportcity next month.
Bolton's Hunt and Worcester's Archer won the national men's doubles
title six times in a row from 1994 and also won the European
championships in 1994 and 1998 in one of England's most successful
partnerships of recent years.
The pair, with a combined aged of 71, started planning this last
hurrah as soon as Archer announced his retirement from international
badminton in the summer after a career which brought him, among
other things, an Olympic mixed doubles bronze medal in 2000 with Jo
Goode and a second Commonwealth gold in Manchester 2002 with her.
In total he won nine National men's doubles titles - six in a row -
and six mixed titles. In fact, it was Archer's presence that denied
Hunt a National mixed doubles title throughout his career although
the Bolton man did beat him in the 1994 Commonwealth final.
 Now
both are concentrating on their family businesses. Archer's produces
radiator caps for cars while Hunt's provides stationery and other
manufactured goods for businesses.
Archer has kept fit since quitting the international scene by
helping to coach the Worcestershire county squad.
He reached the men's doubles final last year as he tried to equal
England legend Mike Tredgett's men's record of 16 nationals doubles
title. But he and David Lindley were beaten by two of Archer's
former partners, Robert Blair and Anthony Clark, who went on
to claim a silver medal at the world championships in the summer.
Clark is chasing a sixth consecutive men's doubles title this time
as he and Blair are sure to start favourites when the fourth
Nationals to be staged at the Velodrome take place from February
2-4.
The Championships have remained in Manchester thanks to the
continued partnership between Badminton England, Manchester City
Council, Carlton, Hi-Tec and badmintondiscount.com with further
support from the Manchester Evening News.
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 "Simon and I
always said we would have one last crack at the Nationals when he
finished. We aren't getting any younger so this is
it.
"I haven't had much chances to do much hitting yet because I spend
the weekends in Greenock (Scotland) with Liza and then work Monday
to Friday in Bolton. But I am still pretty fit. I run 30 miles a
week even though I was 38 last month (December 1).
"Anyway under this new scoring system you don't have to be that fit,
do you, because the games are shorter.
"I am looking forward to playing with Simon again. It will be great
fun.
"I'm taking 10 days off work once the baby [due on Jan 9th] comes
and I will be in Greenock so I am going to try to get in some
practice with former singles and doubles champion Ray Stevens. He
works with Badminton Scotland in Glasgow and if I can spend eight
days hitting I should be ready."
Hunt will hope for better luck this year than last. He put out a
shoulder during his second-round match.
"It was the sixth time I had done it and I did it again at a wedding
in the summer. I have since had an operation to have it pinned so it
won't be a problem this time."
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