Badminton: County players aiming to net titles

Nov 20 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

SEVEN Lanarkshire players will this week bid for glory at the Bank of Scotland International Badminton Championships at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall.

One of Scotland’s top hopes is Bellshill’s Andrew Bowman (24), who is the reigning Scottish national men’s doubles champion.

Bowman and Welsh partner Martyn Lewis will hope to emulate their recent triumph at the Belgian International in September.

The duo, who are seeded fifth, begin their campaign against Germans Tim Dettmann and Patrick Neubacher at noon today (Thursday).

Bowman will also compete in the mixed doubles, partnering Sweden’s Emelie Lennartsson, and they will face the second-seeded Belgian duo Wouter Claes and Nathalie Deschamps in the first round.

Also hoping to triumph are up-and-coming starlet Kirsty Gilmour (Bothwell), Kyle Longmuir (Bothwell), Jamie Neill (Hamilton), Fraser Michie (Motherwell), Keith Turnbull (Larkhall) and Lanark’s Kenneth Young.

Reigning Bank of Scotland National Under-15 champion Gilmour, playing in her first senior ranking event, begins her campaign in the women’s singles today (Thursday) at 10.45am, against Canadian Valerie St Jacques and will team up with Mauchline’s Kirsten Geals in the women’s doubles later in the day.

Jamie Neill and Kenneth Young link up in the men’s doubles and will face seventh seeds, Germans Peter Kasbauer and Roman Spitko, in the first round today.

Neill and Young also face tough singles matches today against Englishmen Ben Beckman and Ben Stawski, respectively.

Kyle Longmuir faced fellow Scot Greg McClure from Greenock in a qualifier yesterday (Wednesday).

In the mixed doubles, Young will team up with Eilidh Ballantyne of Renfrew, while Keith Turnbull partners Russian Ella Diehl, the 2005 and 2006 ladies’ champion.

Turnbull and Diehl start their campaign with a match against Danish duo Rene Lindskow and Lotte Bonde on Friday morning.

Nearly 250 players from 31 nations will contest the 101st championships.

BADMINTONscotland chief executive Anne Smillie said: “It’s great to have so many Scotland players in the draws.

“The championships give badminton fans a fantastic opportunity to see some of our upcoming young players in action as well.

“The Bank of Scotland International Championships will give some of the young players like Kirsty Gilmour a real taste for the cut and thrust of top-class competition. I hope as many people as possible come along to support and encourage them.”

l Several Lanarkshire schools will take part in the Bank of Scotland Play Badminton Carnivals, which run alongside the championships.

Hamilton’s Beckford Primary took part on Tuesday, and Underbank Primary, Crossford, and Coalburn Primary participate today (Thursday).

Hamilton’s Glenlee Primary, Motherwell’s Knowetop Primary and Uddingston Grammar pupils get their chance tomorrow (Friday).

Over 3000 youngsters from across Scotland will take part in the carnivals in an atmosphere of fun rather than competition, in an event that aims to promote sport and healthy lifestyles, while introducing them to the sport of badminton.