27-Jan-09:
Tricky English Nationals test
Draws
for Robertson and Wallwork
 PAST
WINNERS Nick Ponting (Gloucs) and Julie Bradbury (Oxfordshire)
are on course to meet second seeds Nathan Robertson (Notts) and
Jenny Wallwork (Yorks) in the second round of the mixed doubles
after the draw for this weekend’s English National Badminton
Championships at Manchester Velodrome was published today.
Ponting, like Robertson, has won the mixed four times but the
42-year-old’s wins came between 1992 and 1995. Bradbury, 42 next
month, won her one mixed title with Simon Archer in 1996 but
this season Ponting and Bradbury have been the pair to beat on
the Over 40s circuit.
Two-time defending champions Anthony Clark (Notts) and Donna
Kellogg (Derbyshire), the European champions, begin their
hat-trick bid with a second-round clash against the winners of
the first-round meeting between Tom Armstrong (Leics) &
Catherine Grant (Warks) and Ben Stawski (Warwicks) & Lauren
Smith (Cumberland)
Clark and Kellogg are on course to meet former world junior
silver medallists and fourth seeds Chris Adcock (Notts) and
Gabby White (Yorks) in the semi-finals while world No 16 pair
David Lindley and Suzanne Rayappan are Robertson and Wallwork’s
likely semi-final opponents if the event goes to seeding.
Four-times champions and holders Clark and Robertson are top
seeds in the men’s doubles where the winners of the first-round
clash between Gary Fox (Lancs) & Richard Morris (Yorks) and
Chris Evans (Hants) & Adam Smith (Avon) present the first
obstacle. Clark is chasing his eighth men’s doubles title in a
row.
The big test will come if they move on to meet joint third seeds
Richard Eidestedt (Bucks) and Andrew Ellis (Yorks) in the
semi-finals. Eidestedt and Ellis are England’s highest ranked
pair in the world at No 21 but Clark and Robertson produced
their best performance since teaming up again when the reached
the Malaysian Open semi-finals earlier this month and are now up
to No 46 after just a handful of events back together..
Second seeds Chris Adcock (Notts) and former champion Robert
Blair (Leics), ranked No 22 in the world, are on course to meet
fourth seeds Chris Langridge (Surrey) and David Lindley (Notts)
in the semi-finals. Langridge and Lindley were runners-up in the
Swedish International in Stockholm on Sunday and that
performance should boost their world ranking from No 58.
Rajiv Ouseph (Middx) defends his men’s singles title as top seed
and starts against Yorkshire’s Morris. His first real test
should come against Yorkshire’s eighth seed Jamie Bonsels in the
quarter-finals with Surrey’s Ben Beckman the likely semi-final
obstacle.
The big danger is second seed Carl Baxer (Avon), who reached the
semi-finals in Stockholm. He starts against Warwickshire’s Chris
Dakin but Jersey’s fifth seed and former champion Mark Constable
might present his first real problem if they meet in the
quarter-finals. Constable, the 2002 champion, is the only other
player in the draw to have reached the final apart from Ouseph.
Jersey’s Elizabeth Cann is favourite to win her fourth women’s
singles title but might face a difficult second-round test if
she comes up against Hertfordshire’s England international
Rachel Howard.
Three-time runner-up Jill Pittard (Warks) is the second seed and
can expect to meet third seed and new England international
Helen Davies (Cheshire) in the semi-finals. But first she may
have to dispose of promising Hampshire teenager Panuga Riou in
the quarter-finals.
In the women’s doubles Kellogg is bidding to win the title three
years in a row with different partners following successes with
Gail Emms and Tracey Hallam. Kellogg and Suzanne Rayappan (Herts)
are top seeds and start off their title bid against Hampshire
pair Jo Dix and Kelly Holdway.
They can anticipate a tricky semi-final against former England
players Sarah Hardaker (Hants) and former champion Jo Nicholas
(Beds), the fourth seeds.
Yorkshire duo Wallwork and White, England’s No 1 women’s doubles
pair for the European Team Championships in Liverpool from
February 10-15, are second seeds and start their bid against
Howard and Nicola Cerfontyne (Dorset).
They are likely to face third seeds Mariana Agathangelou and
Sarah Bok in the semi-finals but to get there the Avon-Yorkshire
pair may have to overcome three-time champion Bradbury and
Heather Olver (Sussex) if they meet in the second round.
The Draws
The Draws
The Draws |
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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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