20-Jan-09:
Bumper entry for
English Nationals at Velodrome
THE sixth English National Badminton Championships to be staged
at the Velodrome in SportCity Manchester has once again pulled
in a bumper, top-class entry.
 A
record £12,000 prize fund is on offer at the 2009 Championships
and a total of 149 players (97 men and 52 women) from as far
away as Northumberland, Guernsey and Jersey have entered.
All five titles will be defended by 2008 winners between January
30-February 1 with new European mixed doubles champions
Anthony Clark (Notts) and Donna Kellogg (Derbyshire)
both bidding to retain their two doubles titles.
The pair are aiming for a third successive mixed doubles title
while Clark is going for an eighth consecutive men’s doubles
title as he defends his crown with his friend Nathan
Robertson (Notts).
 Former
world champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist Robertson is
sure to be a threat in the mixed with new partner Jenny
Wallwork (Yorks), following Gail Emms’ retirement. But Clark
and Robertson will be out to make it five men’s doubles titles
together having also won in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Kellogg is bidding to retain the women’s doubles title with a
third different partner in a row. She won her third consecutive
title with Emms two years ago, took the title last year with
Tracey Hallam when Emms was unwell, and will this year bid for
glory with Suzanne Rayappan of Hertfordshire. Kellogg has
seven women’s doubles titles to her name, having won her first
title back in 1998 with 2000 Olympic mixed bronze medallist Jo
Goode.
 In
the men’s singles Rajiv Ouseph will defend the title he
won for the first time last year – and 2002 winner Mark
Constable (Jersey) is the only former champion in the
line-up following the retirement of past winners Nick Kidd and
Aamir Ghaffar.
In the women’s singles Jersey’s Elizabeth Cann, who is up
to No 28 in the world, will be bidding for her fourth title,
having won in 2005, 2007 and 2008. She is the only woman in the
draw to have won the title.
 Among
the surprise mixed doubles entries are former champions Nick
Ponting and Julie Bradbury. Ponting (Gloucs) was a
men’s doubles winner as far back as 1991 while Bradbury won the
women’s singles that year and is the last player to have won
three different titles, having won three women’s doubles titles
with Gill Clark and Jo Goode (twice) and mixed doubles with
Simon Archer. Nine-times men’s doubles winner Archer is back
for another shot this year with Herfordshire’s Victor Liew.
Among the younger entries, Hampshire teenager Panuga Riou
is the rising star in the women’s singles while in the doubles
events former world junior silver medallists Gabby White
(Yorks) and Chris Adcock (Notts) will be out to challenge
for the doubles and mixed titles. White partners Wallwork in
women’s doubles while Adcock teams up with former champion
Robert Blair (Leics) in men’s doubles. |
Order Online
 "We
are very pleased to welcome back the English National Badminton
Championships to Manchester in 2009 as part of our exciting calendar of
sporting events and are looking forward to seeing the high level of
sports competition that the players bring to the city."
Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Culture and Leisure
tickets & tournament info
The English National Championships are being staged at the
Velodrome thanks to the special partnership between BADMINTON
England, Manchester City Council, Carlton, badminton retailers
www.sportsdiscount.com and specialist building validation
company Imperial Consultants, with invaluable support from the
Manchester Evening News.
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