European Under 11 Badminton Championships

Nine year old Matthew Lightbody who trains with the Lisburn Alpha Badminton Club out of Ireland is the new Under 11 champion, and one to look out for in years to come. There were 450 entries from 14 countries, but he eased through the competition winning most matches by over 10 points. He knocked of the Dutch No.1 player Joran Kweekel 21-4,21-6 to capture the title.

Misc news:

-After losing to Peter Gade just one day ago at the Korean Open, Lee Chong Wei is setting a new goal-to beat China's Olympic champion Lin Dan. Chong Wei has already proved he is physically fit, after reaching his third consecutive final, however he will need to show tremendous mental toughness if he is to succeed. Chong Wei has never won a major event, but he will have is chance in the All England in Birmingham on March 3-8, 2009, this will also be the first time we see Lin Dan in action this year. Each tournament is a prequel to the World Championships in Hyderabad on Aug 10-16, 2009.

-English badminton standout Alan McMillan will be playing a lot of badminton in the next three weeks as he plays at sportscotland’s National Training Centre , then he travels to Lancashire to play in the Scottish Vets Open at Largs. This tournament

has attracted 180 participants from across Europe. The following weekend McMillan will be in Perth to take part in the Yonex Scottish National Championships. The veteran is scheduled to play against the current European singles age 40-45 group champion in the tournament in Largs. Alan told the Paisley Daily Express, “I know that, if I get through to the final in Largs, playing against the European champ will be a huge game for me. The good thing about it is he hasn’t played me before, so we don’t know each other’s game.

-Head coach Rashid Sidek has made his decision on 33rd ranked Mohd Hafiz Hashim's future with the Malaysian club. He has decided to drop him from the squad for the All-England in March. This also disqualifies him for the World Championships in India in August. Hashim, who bowed out of both tournaments this year in early rounds, will start a new training program to focus on his fitness and to help him regain his confidence and competitive edge. It is unknown when he will return to the International stage.

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