Lottery cash boost for badminton buffs

The £4,890 award, announced this week, is the first grant aid to be received by Worcestershire Schools Badminton Association.

Until now, it has been funded solely by its 60 or so members, whose coaches give their services free.

Members, who are drawn from throughout the county, train once a week at Droitwich High School, paying a subscription of around £38 per term to cover the cost of hiring the courts.

The lottery grant will enable an extra weekly session of intensive training to be laid on for the under-17s, to improve their standard, with the aim of representing Worcestershire at the four-day residential Inter-Counties Tournament at Nottingham University next Easter.

It will also enable more coaches to be trained to run after-school clubs in other parts of the county, feeding into the Worcestershire Association.

"We take children from the age of nine upwards and we would like more coaches to go into schools, because the more clubs there are, the more potential players of county standard there will be," said treasurer Mary Croad.

"We have three qualified coaches and some trained leaders. We would like to train more and perhaps employ some coaches who are trained to a higher level.

"We also want to encourage our under-17s to carry on playing badminton as adults and hope some of them will take the leaders' course and help with our younger members."

Members are divided into under-13s, under-15s and under-17s, but so far the younger groups have only played friendly matches.

The under-17s are in the Shires league this year and it is hoped to enter teams in all three age groups next year.

"We hope to host a course laid on by the Badminton Association of England and would like to hear from players interested in training as coaches," said Mrs Croad.

"We would also like to hear from children who want to play badminton. We can provide clubs for beginners."

Call Mrs Croad on 01886 832786 or chairman Chris West on 01684 562099.