A 14th-place finish at the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships in Spokane rounded off another month of junior action that included some impressive shuttling across the board.
Earlier in September, players came together at the National Badminton Centre for a two-day camp which was also used as preparation for players departing to Washington.
The Discover Squad also joined up for two days of training, with an overnight stay at the National Badminton Centre.
Here is a round-up of all of September’s action:
BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships
The junior team started promisingly in the USA with three group-stage wins.Â
A final group defeat to Malaysia saw them enter the battle for ninth to 16th place, eventually losing to Denmark in the 13th-place playoff.
Highlights included 3-2 wins against Austria and Poland with all three victories against the latter coming through deciders.
A standout performance came in the women’s singles as Leona Lee outlasted Joanna Podedworny with a 22-20 21-19 21-10 win against Poland.
Lucy Brierley made a strong debut at the tournament, winning the mixed doubles rubber against Latvia 21-7 21-8 alongside Oliver Butler, while Robin Harper also got his first taste of the action, partnering Harry Wakefield to a men’s doubles win.
In the play-off matches, England won a scintillating encounter against Singapore 3-2 to set up a shot at 13th place.
Butler and Chloe Dennis fought back from a game down to win the mixed doubles as England set up a tie with Denmark, losing 3-2.
EJP Engage & Progress Camp
The NBC camp built on the success of August’s camp and also acted as a final preparation camp for the World Junior Championships.
Competitive matches across the weekend encouraged team atmospheres which served the group well ahead of competing on the world stage.
The camp also saw England’s junior shuttlers meet new consultant sport psychologist, Happy Wright, who delivered a workshop on emotional regulation.
They were also courtside for a match play session, to support players put into practice some of the strategies introduced in the session.
EJP S&C Coach Kathryn Canham, completed the regular jump testing for the programme whilst also putting players through their paces against the required levels for the EJPP Programme.
Players worked hard and benefited from the experience, perspectives, and expertise of a number of coaches from across the network.
National Pathway Coach Kat Hurrell helped deliver the camp alongside Dave Lindley, Atu Sagita, Stuart Wardell and Canham.
The final camp of the year for this group comes at the end of October prior to the Age Group National Championships, starting in November.
Discover Squad Camp
The Discover Squad came together for two days of training at the NBC which provided a positive insight and experience for players and, for some, it was their first time staying away from home on badminton-related duty.
It gave an opportunity to support the development of key skills such as self-reliance, the development of good performance behaviours and ensuring they are ready in good time.
The focus of the training camp, led by Hayley Adcock, included topics such as a focus around the first four shots of a rally along with some competitive match play across disciplines.
Canham was also in attendance to test the group’s fitness with promising results for the majority.
The players were able to benefit from the knowledge and experience of a number of different coaches across the two days, including Adcock, Chris Tonks, Nicola Cerfontyne, Robert Golding, Jess Pugh and Sara Sankey.
