NEWS
U17 ICT 2012
This report has been submitted by Paul Woodcock, U17 Team Manager.
If somebody had offered us 20th place before we set off to the ICT, I would've snapped their hand off! But we bettered that by ending up16th due to some outstanding performances and unselfish team play. The team consisted of Chloe Sidwell, Jennifer Bates, Katie Allen, Ella Mountjoy, Dawn Ho, Ben Garnham, Tom Woodcock, Liam Fletcher, Kyran Cox and Tom Machon.
Tactics are needed at the ICT, as well as playing ability, because some games we do not have a hope of winning due to the higher standard of the opposition, the best in country are present including the current boys european champion in this age group. Sometimes we have to play against far superior opposition and the players who found themselves in this position played with sheer guts and determination to do their very best for the team, they never let us down once and are a credit to themselves and their parents.
Our first game of the tournament was against Oxfordshire which we won 7-3, then Guernsey who we beat 9-1. The hardest one of the first day was against Hertfordshire which we lost 6-4. This meant we were through to compete for places 1 to 20. On day two we played Dorset first off, the score was 5 all in matches, 10 all in games and a win to Dorset by one point 227-226!! So close yet so far away! Then Cheshire beat us 10-0 - I don't know how, we deserved better than that. Then against Leinster it was again 5 all in matches, but Lincolnshire managed to win 11 games to 10, good job that didn't go to points as Leinster were ahead! This match had the most outstanding game of the tournament for Lincs in my opinion with Tom Machon beating the Irish lad 15-13, 15-4 and showing the will to win and never giving in. Against Yorkshire (the eventual winners) we lost 8-2, which only makes the score against Cheshire more difficult to understand. We had some close games and two good results in this one with Ben Garnham winning his singles and he and Tom Woodcock winning their doubles.
On day three we played Surrey losing 6-4 and 15-10 in games. Some were very close which is evident by the points score of 339-303. Against Middlesex it was 5 all in matches and 12 all in games, but Middlesex scraped a win by 293 points to 285.
On the final day of the tournament we played Devon in our last match of the tournament. England No 1 and European Champion Alex Lane and his brother Ben were the two outstanding players, Lincs lost 9-1 with Chloe Sidwell winning the one - well done Chloe! Although Liam Fletcher lost to Alex Lane, he went down fighting, the score being a very creditable 15-10, 15-10. This was the first match in the tournament where the brothers played together, perhaps they thought they had to to beat our pair of Ben and Tom W. It did not go all their way but Ben and Tom did lose 15-9, 15-13.
The top players were Chloe, who won 14 and lost 6, Tom Woodcock, who won 11 and lost 9, Ben who won 10 and lost 10 and Jennifer Bates who won 9 and lost 11. I would like to thank all the players for their performances and conduct over the four days, they are a credit to their parents and also great ambassadors for Lincolnshire. Thanks too to the parents for allowing them to compete. Thanks also to Lincs B A for its support and backing and to Wendy and Andy at Maurice Robinson Sports.
Last but not least, big thanks to Mandy, Chris, John and Leo for all their hard work and also to Paul Mayfield for coming down on Saturday and helping Ben and Tom W with some sound advice. This is one of the best results for a number of years for our county.
ICT 2013 is 4-7 April ,so to all of you players who would like to be part of the best junior tournament you'll ever experience - start training now, not just with your rackets, but with your bikes, running shoes and weights! You need to be very fit for those four days!!
​UPDATE ON HARLEY TOWLER
Harley’s former coach, Chris Smith gets the lowdown on what he’s been up to this season.
How have you found the transition from junior to senior badminton?
Harley – “I have found domestically the transition fairly comfortable as in previous seasons I had played many senior tournaments. I think internationally, although I had played in international tournaments in previous seasons, my goals in these tournaments have been to get much further and therefore I realised that I would have to improve many areas of my game, mainly speed and consistency”.
How do you feel the season has gone in your first year as a senior player?
Harley “I have enjoyed this year a lot and have been able to play more international events than before. Overall, my results have been fairly consistent and good, and also I’ve managed to gain a few wins over certain players that are GB funded which is pleasing for me. One of my goals for this season was to reach a semi-final of an international tournament and sadly I reached 4 quarter-finals but no semi-finals but I am still happy with these results even though they could have been slightly better on many occasions”.
What has been the highlight/s of your season?
Harley “Winning the Men’s Doubles title at the Northumberland Gold was a very good result for many reasons, firstly Alex Fowler (Yorkshire) and I had got to many semi-finals before and had never been able to push beyond that really, but here we played very well and managed to beat Matthew Nottingham & Ben Stawski in the final, who are both GB funded, and it was great for Alex and I to finally get a ‘big win’ under our belt. Another great result was at the Portuguese International where Helena and I managed to beat Ben Stawski & Alex Langley, who again are both GB funded”.
You’ve started a new mixed partnership with Helena Lewczynska – how’s it going?
Harley “I have been very pleased with how our partnership has been developing and each time we have played we are getting better and better. We had a great result at the French International and lost in three sets to the eventual runners-up at the quarter-final stage. I think next year we can definitely aim to go several steps further in these tournaments and win”.
You’ve almost completed your first year studying at Loughborough University – how has the Performance Centre supported you?
Harley “I have been really pleased with how I have improved in my first year here. The training volume and intensity is what I needed, I feel, and the quality of training is excellent due to having many great players to train with. Also, games sessions are very helpful and I get to practice against players like Gary Fox, Martin Campbell and Angus Gilmour”.
You’ve played a few International events this season – how have you supported yourself financially?
Harley “For this season and hopefully the next two seasons I will be a TASS scholar where I receive support and also this year I received an LSSF scholarship (University scholarship). I have also been supported by ActiveNation and individuals for whom I am very grateful for their support”.
You are looking to play for a club in Europe next season – how is that progressing?
Harley “I am currently speaking with a team from Hamburg, Germany, and it looks promising”.
What does a typical “badminton day or week” look like for you?
Harley “Typically, I train 14 hours on-court (including three 7am sessions) and then also two gym sessions and a speed & agility session. I also occasionally do a physical session in the gym”.
What are your goals for 2012-2013?
Harley “I am aiming to win an International Series event and to reach the semi-final of an International Challenge tournament. I would also like to get into the Top 100 of the World Rankings, but this could depend on the amount of tournaments that I play in. Domestically, I would like to reach the semi-final of the English National Championships and also to have rankings within the Top 10 in both Men’s and Mixed Doubles”.
And finally - what are your long term goals?
Harley “I would like to get on to the GB programme within the next few seasons which would allow me to receive much more funding to international tournaments and also possibly to train full-time at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes. I would like to get to the stage where I am playing in the highest level events i.e. World Championships and I would like to medal in these events”.
MASTERS SUCCESS
It's not very often that Masters players get much of a mention on our website so here's a chance to rectify that. Richard Traviss has represented England for the last six years in the World Championships, European Championships, Six Nations Cup and Denmark Cup. At the Europeans in 2008 held in Spain, he reached the last 16 of both the singles and mens doubles losing to higher seeded Danes on each occasion. In 2009 at the World Champs in Spain Richard also reached the last 16 in the singles and beat the French national champions in the mens doubles on his way to the last 16 where he lost to seeded finalists from Thailand. The 2010 European Championships were held in Dundalk in Ireland, on this occasion Richard only played singles, losing to the top seed Tariq Farooq from Austria in the third round.
The 2011 World Champs were held in Vancouver, Canada. Richard was unlucky to come up against Maeda, a seeded Japanese player in the second round of the singles and a scratch pair of Tariq Farooq (Austria) and Karsten Meier (Denmark) with his new partner from Yorkshire, Ron Mellor in the first round of the mens doubles. They lost 21-19 in the third set.
This season has seen the English pair do much better nationally, coming third in the o55 Nationals in December and winning the national circuit tournaments at the Hull Open, the Yorkshire Open and the Lancashire Open, they were runners up in the Cumbria Classic. This will undoubtedly consolidate their ranking in the top three pairs in the country and qualifies them to compete in the All England Open starting on 17 April.
YONEX WELSH INTERNATIONAL
Harley Towler from Nettleham, near Lincoln is now a student at Loughborough University. He recently reached the quarter finals of the mens doubles at the Yonex Welsh International with fellow student Ryan McCarthy. Their opponents were Chris Coles and Matt Nottingham, the current U19 European Champions. After losing the first game 21-18, they then levelled the match by winning the second game to16. After many long and exciting rallies in the final game, Chris and Matt emerged triumphant winning 21-17 in the third after a 47 minute tussle.
Considering this was Harley and Ryan's first international tournament, they did extremely well to push the more established pair, who have over 5 years experience together. They should draw some confidence from this match and if they can iron out some tactical and positioning issues, they could make an excellent pairing for the future.
For full results go to: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=3D9BEBF6-68CB-44A3-B891-CA7F6B8CC566&draw=6
JOHN HUDSON AWARD
It is 28 years since John Hudson MBE retired as Honorary Secretary of Lincolnshire Badminton Association and he was unanimously voted in as President. At that time he set up a trust for junior badminton players. In true competitive spirit John threw down the gauntlet to the LBA in 1983 that whatever funds they could raise for the venture he would quadruple. The fund was duly set up along with a Trust Deed.
The aim is for the fund to provide financial encouragement to help budding young badminton players achieve higher goals. The Trust Deed requires that nominations for the annual John Hudson Award are considered by the Junior Manager, County Captain and Chairman.
Under the Deed the principal fund cannot be touched but a payment of £50 (from the interest on the fund) is paid to the recipient each year to be used towards the cost of equipment, coaching fees, travelling etc. In recent years the LBA has topped up the payment as interest rates have not resulted in the required £50. This year the LBA has taken the decision to increase the award to £100.
Thanks again to John our President for providing this opportunity for Lincolnshire juniors over the last 28 years and for the future.
Congratulations to the winner of the John Hudson Award for 2010-11
BRADLEY OKOPSKYJ
U17 INTER COUNTIES TOURNAMENT 2009
This year's team consisted of Rodger Annis, Ben Carter, Craig Holden, Isaac Machon, Harley Towler, Jennifer Bates, Natalie Hassall, Leigha Knight and Chloe Sidwell. The Team Manager was Mandy Garnham and the Coach was Dave Perry.
The team finished 19th out of 40 this year which is remarkable considering we had two very young girls in the team who both played some fantastic badminton. Credit goes to the whole team really who rallied and pulled together and without any one of them we would not have managed 19th place. It will be a tough act to follow next season as we lose four of the boys and one of the girls but we wish them all the best for the future and hope they will go on to play for county seniors. Watch this space and we'll see what the younger players can pull out of the bag for next year!
In the first round Lincs came up against Hampshire, Northumberland and Cornwall, only losing to Hampshire who eventually finished 3rd overall. The second round was much tougher with Yorkshire (who finished 2nd overall), Essex, Staffordshire and Sussex. Lincs came bottom of that group but in the final round overcame Gloucestershire to take 19th position.
Well done to the whole team!
Copyright Lincolnshire Badminton Association 2009