MANCHESTER BASED STARS LEAD ENGLAND CHARGE
The strength of badminton in Manchester has been recognised with the selection of two youngsters training in the City for the Yonex World Junior Badminton Championships. Tom Wolfenden and Jenny Moore have been selected as part of an eight player squad to represent Centre Parcs supported Team England in the event in Japan next month.
Both are coached by Manchester coach, Colin Haughton, as part of the Manchester Performance Centre and Manchester’s England Performance Training squad. They travel to the City up to four times a week to train at the National Cycling Centre and Woodhouse Park Lifestyles Centre as part of one of the strongest regional training groups in the Country.
The progress of the two youngsters is attributed to the very strong coaching team and training environment that has been established in Manchester over the past five years. As Haughton pointed out, “Jenny and Tom have been training extremely hard over the last year. We have been able to increase the volume and intensity of their training, with both court work and physical development. This has resulted in fine performances last seasonand, with the great news of their selection for the World Junior Championships, we seem to have kept this development going in a steady direction.”
Haughton states two key areas for this selection are the fact that “we have doubled their Performance Centre training hours with the introduction of England Performance Training (EPT) from four hours per week to eight hours per week and the fine coaching structure that has been built over the last couple of years.” The fact that Haughton himself comes from a singles background and Ian Palethorpe (fellow EPT coach) comes from a doubles background adds to the quality of the training environment with the range of knowledge and expertise available to the players.
Wolfenden confirmed his potential earlier this year, becoming the first person to win three titles at the National Under 19 Championships for 28 years and winning a silver medal at last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games, held on the Isle of Man. This is the second time he has been selected to represent England at the World Junior Championships, having reached the last 16 in last year’s event in Taiwan.
Wolfenden is delighted to have the opportunity to improve on his performance at last year’s World Junior Championships, "I’m really happy that I have been selected for the world junior championships for a second year running. Playing in Japan is a great opportunity and it will be a fantastic experience. I will give it my all and hopefully perform to the best of my ability. I am looking to improve on my last 16 performance in the world juniors last year, in Taiwan."
Moore is also a reigning National Under 19 champion in the women’s doubles, having also won that event at Under 17 level this year. She won silver medals in last season’s European Under 17 Championships as part of the England team in the team event and with her partner, Vicki Williams, in the women’s doubles. Moore will be hoping to emulate Wolfenden’s achievement in being selected for the World Juniors two years in a row as she will still be a junior next year. In addition to being her first selection for the World Junior Championships, it also represents Moore’s first opportunity to play in Asia, where badminton is one of the highest profile sports.
"It's an amazing opportunity to have been selected, I can't wait to go!! Playing in Asia for the first time will be such a great experience - especially playing in the big stadiums and competing against the top Asians. I am so honoured to have been selected, I've put in a lot of hard work, especially over the last 12 months and I'm so happy that it has paid off!"
Notes to editors
The Yonex BWF World Junior Championships comprise a team event, followed by an individual event and runs from October 25 to November 3 in Chiba. Started in 1992, the event showcases the best under 19 badminton talent across the planet and has a glittering alumni of previous winners including Saina Nehwal, Chen Long, Wang Yihan and Viktor Axelsen whilst Ratchanok Inthanon –quarter finalist at the London 2012 Olympic Games - is the current title holder in the women’s singles event.
Moore and Wolfenden will be amongst a host of England stars competing at next year’s English National Championships, held at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester from 1-3 February 2013. Information and tickets can be found at or by calling the box office on 0844 5811 424.
Manchester Performance Centre is one of six performance centres in the North West and over 30 across the Country. They provide a platform to increase competitive opportunities and raise standards for all players. These environments operate at local community level for badminton in clubs and schools by establishing an infrastructure in order to nurture talent, including the identification of players, coaches, volunteers and officials. Performance centres are integral to achieving the aim of improving the standard of players so more pressure is exerted on the top elite band. The aspiration is to create a hub of badminton activity where players, coaches and volunteers can progress, reach their potential and satisfy their own ambition within the sport.
Manchester Performance Centre was the first approved England Performance Training due to a large existing player base, high quality coaches and a strong management structure.England Performance Training is intended to form a key part of the overall England performance structure and bridge the gap between Performance Centres and the two High Performance Centres, based in Leeds and Bath.
If you would like to find out more about Manchester Performance Centre, please contact:
Steve White, Secretary for Manchester Badminton Performance Centre
t. 07967 333 111 e: