The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships will be taking place at the new Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham from 3-8 March 2015.
As one of the oldest and prestigious open badminton tournaments in the world, you will have the opportunity to watch the world’s best players come together.
Tickets are available from www.allenglandbadminton.com
The Open Badminton Championships will also be broadcast on SKY Sports 3 on Saturday 7th March and Sunday 8th March 12pm – 5pm
In order to promote badminton in Kingswinford the West Midlands Performance Centre are offering 4 weeks FREE. The sessions are at the Crestwood school off Bromley Lane, Kingswinford.
These sessions enable boys and girls of all levels and various ages, to experience badminton and try it for 4 weeks free of charge. Places are limited up to Christmas. These FREE sesion will work on a first come first served basis. Are you interested? Is your child interested?
More details regarding the session can be found on the WMPC website HERE.
Voucher for the FREE sessions are available at from Stephanie Cartwright-Randle.
Contact her on 07976 814036 or stefcr@live.co.uk.
After the free sessions places at the Pre-Raw and Raw sessions are accepted on an application basis.
Monday 1st December 2014 see the Birmingham Lions take on University of Nottingham in the third round of NBL fixtures. The impressive University of Birmingham’s Great Hall is the venue for the second home fixture for the Birmingham Lions.
Details for all of the NBL fixtures can be found HERE. Ticket information for these events can be found and purchased HERE.
For results, action videos,, photos and more details see the NBL website.
Birmingham Lions serves to Team Derby at home in the NIA here in Birmingham on Monday 6 October. The NBL (National Badminton League) first match night is fast approaching and Birmingham Lions are hosts to Team Derby. Full details of the fixtures can be found HERE.
Watch NBL live as Sky are covering the match nights and some events can be seen live on one of the SKY sports channels. And/Or watch stream matches on the NBL site with a 24hour delay. More details HERE.
Tickets can be purchased by following the link HERE. For those a little more local to Birmingham or West Midland Performance Centre tickets can be purchase from Lorraine Cole see the contact page.
Dont miss out on your NBLTicket!
Scott Evans won gold for Team Ireland in the men’s singles final, which left Sam and Chloe Magee to settle with silver after losing the mixed singles decider game.
The siblings from Rapheo were two games up against Max Schwenger and Carla Nelte of Germany and had a match point, however they lost in the end with a result of 3-2. This tournament was a test event for the Olympic Games that is going to be held in RIO in 2016.
The bronze medal winners were Sam Magee and his brother Joshua were both beaten in the men’s doubles semi-finals on saturday evening, despite that they still came away with a bronze.
With the Summer Camps being a big smash with the participants most of the remaining sessions are Full. The West Midlands PC urge those players who are interested to book ASAP to avoid disappointment. Once the session is full your name will be added to the waiting list.
Players have traveled from as far as Coventry, Leicester, Derby and even Norfolk. After the session the coaches give participants feedback on what areas to work on to help the player improve.
If you are interested then complete a booking form, or for more details on who to contact see HERE.
If you miss the summer camp then take a look at the weekly session run by the Performance Centre. See HERE.
Day two of the Inter PC Tournament in Manchester saw players from the Developing and Emerging groups take to the courts hoping to leave their mark with our northern competitors.
WMPC Developing group for the Inter PC event, was being represented by Kishen Lee, Samuel White, Kayleigh Beeston-Smith and Selina Liang. 
There were six teams in our group so 5 gruelling matches lay ahead in a warm Manchester veladrome for relatively new pairing against, what turned out to be some strong opposition. The first Match saw us narrowly loose 2-3 with very close games set the bar for the days battle. Although no match was won by WMPC developing group but with close scores of 17s, 18s, 19s says hard fought battles were had in may of the games. Un-triumphant the Developing team set of home with heavy hearts. The day was a great experience and lessons can be learnt and taken to work on for next year and/or similar events.
The Emerging group for the Inter PC challenge saw Rob Spink, Chris Williams, Sarah Collins and Grace Taylor turn out for an epic first match against a the host Manchester PC. 
The format or game order was, ladies doubles, mens singles, ladies singles, mens doubles and one mixed. Chris had a gruelling first mens, winning 21-13, 20-22, 26-24. Sarah played ladies singles losing narrowly in the second game 14-21, 21-23. Mixed doubles saw Rob and Grace take their game to 3 and winning 21-16, 19-21, 21-13. Final first match score 3-2 to WMPC. Unknown to us at this stage that was the winning match. Out off the remaining 3 matches saw WMPC play Potteries 1 and 2, opposition that was a little closer to home and better known. Overall some fabulous badminton for those of us on the side line spectating. Triumphant on the day yet Emerging guys walked away with medals and the trophy. On a lighter note each team nominated a player from the opposition for sports person of the match, whose names where put in to a hat and drawn at the end of the competition to win a Babolar racquet. Young Sarah Collins is now the proud owner of one such racquet.
Well done to all the players both Developing and Emerging and thank you parents for your support and the early start.
WMPC first experience of the Inter PC Tournament. Run by Steve White of the Manchester PC. Predominately Northern PC entries. So the new kids on the block WMPC enter for the first time. Saturday began with the RAW group entries, we had one team in the Raw League (stronger players). The team could have been made up of five players (either male or female), so Joe Kamara, Rohit Kale, Nurali Rajbhai and Ibraheem Malik four lads, 13 years or younger were representing West Midlands PC. None of the had ever played together before. So this was a first and the other competitors would be the best from other PC’s (cream de la cream).
PC RAW – Rohit, Joe and Nurali
The four lads held their own, although nerves, age, lack of experience all rearing their heads as they participating in the first couple of matches.
With a single group one 9 teams, each match consisted of 5 games to 15 a full schedule lay ahead, for the novice team.
The first two games were narrowly lost 2-3. After playing three games without a victory, heads in the WMPC camp were drooping a little. As they started back after a short break, a little food and some well deserved water they went out with revived energy to win the next two matches 3-2. Matches 6 and 7 proved a little more difficult and we lost with our heaviest defeat, but close game to 12 and 13 against the strongest opposition heads can be held high. Last match of the Inter PC RAW group, going into the last game with 2 games all (scores 12 or 13s both ways), our closes match yet. All on the last game no pressure but, the early morning start, 7 matches and 14 games showed although a good battle was had, we took another defeat.
A very long, hot, tiring day was had by all. Parents now faced a long drive home (minimum of two hours). But with two wins and three close games the four PC lads can hold their heads high after an tough debut outing together.
Thanks go to the moms and dads for their support and making the long journey.
West Midlands Performance Centre is running a Summer Badminton Camp for for weeks during August. As you know the badminton season runs September to April with a long break over the Summer. After the success of last years summer camp the PC are running another one.
This years camp is bigger and better. Guest coach Steve Butler (Ex-International player – Warwickshire coach) will taking sessions, along with Lorraine Cole, James Lauder and Stephanie Cartwright-Randle.
The camp is devised to build up the level of fitness starting with week 1 and tapering down the physical element as we approach week 4 which is the build up to the start of the season.
Though the groups players will develop their movement, technique, skills, fitness, strength, efficiency, power and tactics for both singles and doubles over the 4 week program. The program icludes sessions in the dance studio to develop movement skills to music ( fun session but also very physical). Skills will be practiced some will be incorporated into routines, along with match play developing tactics.
The WMPC summer camp aims to provide value training for a full month to prepare the players for the season ahead. MORE details and booking forms HERE.
The UK’s first ever NBL (national badminton league) event was held in Milton Keynes this week, it had representatives from six competing teams that were all playing their part in the auction to be top badminton talent in the country.
The auction was held at Stadium:MK on monday, 2nd june 2014 giving teams the chance to help shape their teams before the league starts live on T.V in October on Sky sports.
