The world’s best badminton players descended on the Midlands for the All England Open Championships last week and a group of Bridgnorth Endowed students got the chance to see the action first-hand.
Years 9 and 10 attended the prestigious event at Arena Birmingham on Thursday 12th March and witnessed the game being played at the highest level.
An important sport in the school, badminton is played throughout all year groups as part of the PE curriculum and further specialist training is available at twice weekly after-school sessions for the real enthusiasts.
Star players at BES include Year 11 students, Anthony Simpson and Ben Shotton, who both receive training and development at county level. Young players to watch for the future are, amongst others, Year 7’s Harriet Millett, Nathan Ford and Freddie Morris.
PE teacher and badminton coach, Mr McAdam, said: “This was the tenth year of attending the tournament and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I think students were able to gain a great deal of inspiration and more appreciation for this rapid-fire game.”
“We had a fantastic day and saw some tremendous matches, including England’s Lauren Smith and Marcus Ellis cruising to victory against no. 4 seeds Watanabe and Hijashino to secure a place in the quarter-finals.”
