Herts Badminton News for 2002-03 Continued (March03 - September 02)

Primary Schools Team Tournament Sunday 2nd March at Stevenage Sports Centre

by Megan Lumb

This tournament was held at Stevenage Leisure Centre on Sunday, March 2. Children from eleven junior schools took part and there were also 2 invitation teams. The day began with an hour of coaching before the players began on the serious business of the day. 

There were 22 boys teams and 19 girls teams. In the first round the boys played in two groups of five and four groups of three, with the latter playing off for positions in two large groups of six. The second round had two groups of five and three groups of four - the winners of the first round groups with the best runner-up playing for positions 1-5 and the 2nd teams playing for 6-9 etc. The top group consisted of Lochinver 1, Potters Bar (Daniel Regan, Andrew Barnes, Joshua Cooper), Lochinver 2, Potters Bar (Philip Bagshaw, Tom Clarke, Rahul Amin), Little Heath 1, Potters Bar (Richard Wilson, Jack Fernandez, Oliver Pepper), Wilbury 1, Letchworth (Scott Williams, Satjivan Aujla, Craig Cunningham) and the Invitation team (Harry Sandford, Arnett Hills, Stevenage - Elliott Miles, Little Hadham and Gareth Lumb, Ladbrooke, Potters Bar) as the best runner-up. There were some very close games and the final result hinged on the last doubles match, when Wilbury 1 won a very hard fought game against the Invitation team 11-10, to give them a total of 4 wins and the championship.

Lochinver 1 team received the silver medal and the Invitation team got bronze. Little Heath, in 4th place, also won a bronze medal, as the Invitation team were from 3 separate schools and did not count as a school team. Lochinver 2 finished in 5th place, Ladbrooke 1 in 7th place, Little Heath 2 in 18th place and Ladbrooke 2 in 21st place. The girls played the first round in one group of four and five groups of three, with the six winners and best runner-up going into a box of seven for the second round, and the remainder in two boxes of six. Stormont 1, Potters Bar (Helena Lewczynska, Daniella Farsiani, Isabelle Sadler) won all their games convincingly to give them the championship. In second place was Grange 1, Letchworth (Bonni Adams, Hannah Rushton, Charlette Medford) and 3rd was Wilbury 1, Letchworth (Laura Bygrave, Leanne Gateson, Sophie Bottazzi).

Stormont 2 was in 4th place; the Invitation team (with girls from Applecroft, WG City, St Giles South Mimms and Morgans, Hertford) in 5th; Little Heath were in 6th place, Ladbrooke 1 were 14th and Ladbrooke 2 were in 15th place.

At the end points were added together for schools with boys and girls teams to give a combined total. The combined winners were Wilbury 1, with Grange 1 in 2nd place and Little Heath 1 in 3rd. Ladbrooke 1 were in 7th place and Ladbrooke 2 were 14th.

The winning schools in each category (boys, girls and combined) received a trophy for the school and the players received medals.

Thanks to the main organisers, Hazel Levins, Marion Conway (far left in photo, main page), Megan Lumb and the cohort of helpers (including HSBA Chairman, Ken Winchester, back row of photo, main page)  and coaches.

 

Juniors practicing attacking a high low serve

Photo by:  John Moss:  http://www.familymoss.com/

Click here for a 4x larger copy

Complete Results

Boys                                             Girls 

1 Wilbury 1                                 1 Stormont 1

2 Lochinver 1                             2 Grange 1

3 Invitation                                 3 Wilbury 1

4 Little Heath 1                           4 Stormont 2

5 Lochinver 2                              5 Invitation

6 Grange 1                                   6 Little Heath

7 Ladbrooke 1                             7 Grange 3

8 Lea Farm                                   8 St Andrews Much Hadham

9 Wilbury 2                                  9 Grange 2

10 Grange 2                                 10 Wilbury 3

11 Grange 3                                  11 Wilbury 5

12 Abel Smith 1                           12 Wilbury 2

13 St John the Baptist Amwell 13 Abel Smith 1

14 St Andrews Much Hadham 14 Ladbrooke 1

15 Wilbury 4                                15 Ladbrooke 2

16 Abel Smith 2                           16 Wilbury 4

17 St Catherine's Ware               17 St Catherine's Ware 2

18 Little Heath 2                           18 St Catherine's Ware 1

19 Wilbury 6                                 19 Abel Smith 2

20 Wilbury 5

21 Ladbrooke 2

22 Wilbury 3

 

Combined 

1 Wilbury 1

2 Grange 1

3 Little Heath 1

4 Grange 2

5 Wilbury 2

6 Grange 3

7 Ladbrooke 1

8 St Andrews Much Hadham

9 Wilbury 3

10 Abel Smith 1

11 Wilbury 4

12 St Catherine's Ware 1

13 Abel Smith 2

14 Ladbrooke 2

15 Wlbury 5

 

Congratulations to Gail and Nathan who got to the quarter finals of the Yonex All England! in February

Herts' Gail Emms & Nathan Robertson were knocked out in the quarters by 8th seeds. See BAofE website for results

   

Junior InterCounty Challenge Results Feb03

Team Matches Games Points Position
Under 13         
Norfolk 2 9 294 4
Bucks 3 20 501 3
Herts 5 24 565 1
Suffolk 0 4 185 6
Essex 4 26 566 2
Beds 1 6 253 5
Under 15        
Bucks 4 24 427 2
Norfolk 1 13 312 4
Suffolk 1 7 251 5
Herts 5 32 500 1
Beds 1 6 213 6
Essex 3 23 437 3

 

Ten Herts Coaches qualified at Coach Part1on Saturday 4th January and together with 3 tutor-assessors provided top-quality coaching to local juniors and adults at Knights Templar Sports Centre, Baldock (see photo, below).  

20 juniors and 18 adults so enjoyed the coaching they asked 'when can we do it again?'! 

Herts 1st Team - Weekend of Matches 14th & 15th December 2002 at the National Badminton Centre, Milton Keynes

 OPPOSITION    SATURDAY 14th,DERBYSHIRE followed by YORKSHIRE.

                             SUNDAY 15th, LANCASHIRE

The Squad

Gail Emms (Full Time player based at MK)

Kelly Matthews (Full Time player based at MK) -  Saturday only

Rachel Howard (Hertford)

Kath Mulligan (Hertford)

Helen Skeggs (Elstree) Sunday only

Phil Hammond (Goffs Oak)

Andy Walden (Hertford) Saturday only

Tom Gooden (Kimpton)

Peter Gooden (Kimpton)

Jim Teale (Watford)

Brian Lockie (Rickmansworth)

REPORT 

The county first team had to call on three second team ladies for the second round of matches in this Premier A weekend of matches. International player, Natalie Munt (Ware) was playing the 5 star China Open, Liza Parker (Park Street) was playing in Holland and Suzanne Rayappan (Stevenage) was playing in Germany. Kelly Matthews just back from injury was playing her first competitive match this season.

The opposition for the weekend look formidable. Reigning champions Yorkshire, last year’s runners up Lancashire and Derbyshire. However with England star Gail Emms available the county came home with a win, draw and a defeat to finish the weekend in 4th place.

Herts got off to an excellent start against Derbyshire going 4-0 up after the singles. Andy Walden & Phil Hammond won in straight games against Jon Bishop and James Boxall. Hammond recording a fine win over England doubles specialist Boxall. In the ladies singles Gail Emms won in three games against singles specialist Leah Tarry and Rachel Howard won comfortably 11-5, 11-1 against Tracey Parker. The county went further ahead when the Gooden brothers won a close two games match 12 & 15 against Simon Bassett and Jon Bishop. Derby recorded there first win when England players Kris Roebuck and Boxall won in straight games against first pair Teale & Lockie. Herts went further ahead winning both ladies doubles. Kelly Matthews returning to competitive play and Katherine Mulligan making her first team debut won 7 & 9 and Emms & Howard also won in straight games against Tarry & Parker. Emms continued her winning form with Teale in the mixed in three games against Roebuck & Lisa Chapman. Derby picked up their second win with Boxall & Tarry taking second mixed against Tom Gooden & Matthews. An excellent 8-2 win and start to the weekend.

Yorkshire proved different opposition in the next match and the county soon found themselves 4-0 down after the singles. Teale & Lockie picked up the first point winning at first men’s doubles against young England players Graham Crow & James Vincent. Emms with Matthews in the ladies doubles and Teale in the mixed picked up two further points but the county were no match for a quality Yorkshire team eventually going down 7-3.

Sunday morning and Lancashire a fixture evenly contested in recent years. Hammond celebrating his 18th birthday got no favours from Julian Priestley losing in two closely contested games 10& 12. With Tom Gooden going down also in straight games it needed the ladies to pull the county back in to the tie. Emms did that with a fine 13-10, 11-7 win over singles specialist Donna Tollitt. Howard pulled off her best win to date at second singles with a deciding games win over recently retired England player Sara Sankey. Teale & Lockie continue their fine form with the most closely contested match of the weekend winning 15-13 in the final games against Mike Kellett & Mark Pallett (making 100th appearance for Lancs). The Goodens went down in straight games and the ladies shared their doubles to leave the match evenly poised at 4 all going in the mixed. Emms & Teale continued their fine form and their unbeaten season so far with a straight games win over Pallett & Tollitt. Lockie & Howard could not extend the lead when they went down in a third game decider against Dave Allen & Helen Pallett, which levelled the tie at 5 all.

With so many first choice ladies absence the squad performed above expectations to finish the weekend in fourth place by picking up 16 points. Much credit again must go to Gail Emms with eight of those points and her partners Rachel Howard, Kelly Matthews and Jim Teale.

Paul Widdicombe, Chairman of Selectors

Tel : 01920 484605 (h) 01707 262023 (w) or paulwiddicombe@aol.com

 

The Herts Badminton Centre rises from the ground!

Malcolm Fraser, Duncan Conway and Dave Bartlett, left, and Paul Widdicombe and Gill Bartlett visited the large wet building, in November, that will become the 12 court centre of badminton for Herts! Opens August! 

See draft plan of site

Details of new campus

 

Badminton clubs look for support at Herts Sports Partnership

Six badminton clubs and HBA and HSBA committees represented badminton interests at the Herts Sports Partnership meeting on 9th December.  Representatives from Lingwood, Ward Freman, Individuals, Gosling, and Swifts Junior and Gosling Junior, clubs' heard the latest information from key sports groups in the county and then split into groups to decide aims and actions under the four headings: Resources, Information, People issues, Life-long sport. Herts Sports Partnership was set up to bring together all the major players in sport, from Sport England, Herts County Council, District Councilors, Schools P.E., Sports Development Officers, Governing Bodies of sport and clubs.  As in all successful ventures, the support is a two-way process: by supporting HSP, HSP is able to support sports' interests.

Under the Resources work group, funds will be sought to provide for the work decided by HSP.  Already each district council has pledged £500 each and other groups such as Sport England, considerably more.  

L-R:  Marion Conway from Swifts JBC, Janet Stephens -  Ward Freman,  Ken Abbott - Lingwood, Gill Bartlett - Gosling (and HBA Newsletter), Malcolm Fraser  - Individuals BC (and Chairman HBA), Dave Bartlett - HBA Development Committee (and County Club & Coach Dev Forum).

In the Information Group the need for appropriate information media was requested:  it is hoped that the main information website run by HCC, http://www.hertsdirect.org/ , will have a major section on sport and details of HSP actions.  In the People Issues work group the need for support for all those involved in helping develop our sport was recognised.  Life-long sports wants to improve the links between schools and clubs and provide the means to support and encourage people throughout their lives.   [Other HSP photos: hsp.jpg  hsp2.jpg ]

Full reports of the meeting will be available before the next meeting on 11th March, at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City.  Anyone interested in progressing their concerns contact Dave Bartlett in the first instance. 

Herts Badminton Centre Rises from the Ground

On 18th November Herts Badminton Association (HBA) and Herts Schools Badminton Association (HSBA) members visited the developing sports centre for badminton on the new University of Hertfordshire campus in Hatfield.  Although the ground was wet the wall and roof were up and it was possible to envisage what the eventual 12 court hall will look like. Malcolm Fraser, Dave and Gill Bartlett, Paul Widdicombe, Duncan Conway and Nick Goode were given the guided tour by UoH Hall Manager Liz Wheeler.   

HBA and HSBA have had a committee looking into the feasibility of a county centre since before 1990.  All agree, the new centre will not only be one of the Region's largest and 'state of the art' in terms of a facility quality for badminton but will make possible a venue that is in the very centre of Herts and therefore accessible to the largest number of people.  Plans are already well advanced for block-booked Sundays, Wednesday and Thursday evenings by the combined organisation starting September.   The centre is due to open in August with the probability of a formal Opening Ceremony to coincide, if possible, with the England v China tour in late October-November.  For more information contact Dave Bartlett.

HBA win another Awards For All Grant that benefits Coaches and Juniors

As a result of a successful application for an Awards For All grant by Dave Bartlett, HBA Coaching Co-ordinator, 11 new Leaders, right, and 12 potential Coach Part1 coaches attended Herts courses at Knights Sports Centre in October - all subsidised by the AfA grant.

In return for subsidised places coaches provided free coaching sessions to Herts juniors - Leaders 5 sessions, Coach Part1 10 sessions.  These sessions were provided right across Herts.  Dave Bartlett said that this was a highly successful scheme.  Unfortunately, with the Lottery funding now being reduced it is unlikely that we will be able to repeat this for several years - unless any other sponsors are found.  

 

Herts New Leaders on course in October 02

Nim Baguant, Cathy Wheatley, Steve Hummersone, Sam Edmanson, Susan Steeds, David Wright, Kevin Leader,  Dawn Knowles, Steve Lampon, Robin Wade, Bradley Goding, with coach-tutor Ray Learney (middle of back row) and organiser Dave Bartlett (middle front row)

 

Herts Premier Inter-county team perform well in spite of missing star players 

(As appeared in the Welwyn & Hatfield Times, 30th Oct)

A below strength Herts squad returned from Stoke-on­ Trent with two wins and a draw from the opening weekend of the inter-county badminton championships.  Herts, missing the talents of Kimpton girl Kelly Matthews, doubles specialist Suzanne Rayappan from Stevenage and Elstree ace Adam Skeggs, record­ed wins over Bucks and Cheshire at Fenton Manor and claimed a cred­itable 5-5 draw with Essex.

The results leave Herts in third place in the Premier A table with 20 points, just two behind joint league leaders Lancashire and Yorkshire.

County selectors were forced into a major reshuffle with national U19 champion Matthews and international Rayappan injured and Skeggs ruled out through illness.

Commonwealth Games team gold medallist Gail Emms, one of the world’s top doubles players, stepped in to play first ladies’ singles for the county and stole the show with a string of class performances. She completed the first ICC National Premier A League weeks end of the new season unbeaten with nine wins from nine matches.  Internationally ranked at ladies’ doubles and mixed, Emms set the standard for her county's colleagues to emulate in the future.  Partnering debutante Rachel Howard, from Hertford, in the doubles, the Herts pair conceded only 19 points in three matches.

 

Gail Emms

Rachel Howard

Emms also teamed up with Jim Teale in the mixed and they were only stretched by Cheshire’s David O’Neill and Ella Tripp.  She also won her three singles matches in style.

Fellow England player Natalie Munt also completed the weekend undefeated with three wins at second singles and in the doubles with inter­national colleague Liza Parker.

It was Herts’ strength in the women’s section that helped the county beat Bucks 7-3 in their sec­ond fixture and Cheshire 8-2 the fol­lowing morning.

The county’s men found the two days something of a struggle with the only really positive results coming from Goffs Oak teenager Phil Hammond.  The 17-year-old recorded two fine singles wins over Bucks’ Ian Pocock and Cheshire’s Joel Parsons.

With the selectors unable to find a replacement for Adam Skeggs, Hammond also stepped in to play second men’s doubles with Kimpton’s Tom Gooden. Although taking the Bucks pair of Robert Cartmell and Nathan Rice to a deciding game, the untried Herts partnership found the weekend very tough.  

Gooden also had a miserable time at top string men’s singles with three successive defeats. However, Gooden performed much better in the mixed doubles with England international Parker.  They won two matches, against Bucks and Cheshire, as Herts accu­mulated 20 points to leave them­selves well placed for the remaining six matches

Click here to see the full Results

Phil Hammond goes for the smash

County Second Team's Resounding Victory over Norfolk 1st, 13th October 

(As appeared in the Welwyn & Hatfield Times, 16th Oct)

Badminton players from WGC helped Herts’ second string get their season off to a winning start on Sunday.  WGC pair Caroline Hale and teenager Jenna Tye both claimed three victories apiece at Wodson Park as Herts beat Norfolk’s first team 11-4 in the inter-county championship.  The county’s emphatic victory secured them maximum points in Ware.  Seventeen-year-old Tye beat the more experienced Janet Southgate 11-2, 11-3 in the sin­gles and then partnered Hertford’s Kath Mulligan to two straight game doubles wins against Charity Barnes and Linda Sawyer and Sham Crane and Southgate.

Hale teamed up with Elstree ace Helen Skeggs to also beat both Norfolk pairs in the ladies’ doubles.

Herts completed a clean sweep of the mixed matches with Hale joining forces with Chris Patten to beat Ian Murphy and Barnes 15-3,   15-8.

Helen Skeggs was also tri­umphant in the mixed with Andrew Walden, the pair dropping just seven points against their Norfolk opponents.

With the men halving the singles and doubles, the Herts learn won 11-4 overall. They are keen on going one step further this season having lost in the ICC Division One play-offs last season.

Hertford’s Walden won his sin­gles match and also recorded a men’s doubles victory alongside Jon Austin.  Chris Patten and Dominic Savage beat one of the Norfolk men’s pairings Austin and Mulligan claimed Herts’ other mixed victory.

                                                                    -------------------------

Three Herts badminton players represented England in last week’s five-match series against world team champions China.  (Report from Welwyn & Hatfield Times 16th October)

Commonwealth Games team gold medallist Gail Emms and county colleagues Liza Parker and Natalie Munt all featured on court in the international contest.

Doubles specialists Emms and Parker are both graduates of the coaching sessions organised by the Goode family at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield.

Fellow Herts player Suzanne Rayappan was also called up by Badminton Association of England performance Director Finn Traerup-Hansen, but didn’t play.

  

Gail Emms    and        Natalie Munt

However the Herts aces were unable to stop England slumping to their first Chinese whitewash in a full series since the first visit by the current Sudirman Cup world mixed team competition champions back in 1980-81

China won all five matches to severely dent England’s preparations for both the Yonex All England Championships in February and the World Championships in Birmingham three months later.

   Experienced international Emms and emerging pair Parker and Munt, who was making her England debut, all played in the opening match of the series at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth.

Parker teamed up with Simon Archer to beat Cai Yun and Liu Jian11-10, 11-8 in the mixed doubles. “Liza Parker gained good experi­ence playing with Simon,” said England coach Finn Traerup­Hansen. “It’s good to put some of the younger players with Simon so they can leans off him.” Archer won Olympic bronze with Tewin’s Jo Goode two years ago in Sydney and struck gold with the same player in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. Herts pair Emms and Munt, how­ever, lost 11-4, 11-6 to Zhang Zhibo and Zhang Dan in the women’s dou­bles as England suffered an agonising last-tie defeat.

Zhang Zhibo and Zhang Dan also beat the Herts pairing of Munt and Parker the following day in just 24 minutes as England suffered a 4-1 defeat in Exeter. Munt had earlier claimed England’s only victory of the night alongside Robert Blair. They won the mixed doubles 11-5, 11-5 in their first international together.

World class duo Emms and Nathan Robertson maintained England’s winning streak in the mixed doubles in match three at the Norwich Sports Village. The Malaysian Open champions defeated Sang Yang and Zhang Dan 11-4, 8-11, 11-7 despite trailing 6-0 in the decider. But for the second successive fixture, England slumped to a 4-1 defeat overall.

“I was thinking when we were 6-0 down that England hadn’t lost the previous two mixed,” said Emms. “I didn’t want me and Nathan to be the first.”  However, the national champions did lose at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Centre last Tuesday in the penultimate clash.

They were beaten by Cai Yun and Zhang Dan in three games and there was further heartache for Emms in the women’s doubles with Munt.

There was more Chinese torture for England in the concluding match of the series in Chester.  Munt and Anthony Clark salvaged some pride in a 3-2 overall loss last Wednesday with an 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 victory over Wu Yunyong and Zhang Zhibo in the mixed doubles.

Howard forces her way into county set

The county’s top badminton aces open their inter-county sea­son this coming weekend in Stoke-on-Trent.

The Herts first team face fix­tures against Essex, Cheshire and Bucks over the two days. Hertford girl Rachel Howard will be making her first team debut alongside England interna­tionals Gail Emms, Natalie Munt and Liza Parker

Howard has been in impressive form so far this season and took three titles at the Herts County Championships. She was also a finalist in the in Herts Open singles and doubles in early September.

The first team’s men include regulars Jim Teale and Brian Lockie, along with Elstree ace Adam Skeggs, Kimpton’s Tom Gooden and Goffs Oak teenager Phil Hammond, another of the emerging players coached by the Goode family

Herts’ fourth string opened their season on Sunday with a comfortable 9-6 win over Buckinghamshire 3rds at Wodson Park in Ware. Barnet’s Jo Williams led the way with four solid wins. She scored a fine 11-6, 11-4 singles win over Vanessa Hollis and partnered Sandra Ingham in the ladies’ doubles and John Miller in the mixed to round off a perfect day

Fifteen-year-old Emma Stokes took the second ladies’ singles to level the tie at 2-2 after Bucks had won both men’s matches.  Mills with partner Adam Chapman, took both men’s doubles to complete his day unbeaten. Chapman and lngham at first mixed also went undefeated with a straight games win

 

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Want to Play for the Hertfordshire?            September 02

Are you a good club player interested in playing for the county? Paul Widdicombe, Chairman of County Selectors said in August: "Club Secretaries invited to recommend senior players to attend the county training sessions in September. Although the squad players have now been chosen, players who are interested in being considered for senior county selection should ask their club secretary to contact Paul via email.

Congratulations to Team England and  in particular Jo Goode and Gail Emms of Herts in the Commonwealth Games! See results on BAofE website.

News of Season 01-02;