County kids go national with badminton

Jun 19 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON’S St Mark’s Primary were one of 10 schools contesting the Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge Badminton National Finals.

St Mark’s represented South Lanarkshire at the June 10 event at Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth, but the title was retained by Battlefield Primary, from Glasgow.

In total, more than 1400 children have competed in the competition through various regional heats.

The competition, which was originally devised by BADMINTONscotland’s development manager, Russell Hogg, and involves a series of fun games loosely based around some techniques used in badminton, has been a highly successful venture.

It introduces the basics of badminton to children, whilst keeping the emphasis very much on having fun.

Mr Hogg said: “The level of interest the Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge has generated across the country has been amazing.

“We have seen some fantastic badminton played all over Scotland and the final was a fitting end to a great competition; the Challenge has been very successful and I am confident it will continue to grow next year and beyond.”

Karen Tighe, deputy head of sponsorship for Bank of Scotland, commented: “We are delighted that the Bank of Scotland Sportshall Challenge has been so well received.

“It plays a vital role in our aim of getting school children involved in sport and developing their interest in badminton.”