6 February, 2024
The National Badminton League has officially made its return to competition after seven years away from the court.
With four teams in the mix, the brand new 2023/2024 pilot season runs between December 2023 and March 2024 and explores a sustainable way of creating engaging competitive and fan opportunities.
And with three different victors over three days of action, the competition is already heating up.
University of Nottingham 5-0 High Wycombe Performance
The 2023/2024 season kicked off on 4 December as the University of Nottingham put on a dominant showing over High Wycombe Performance.
The Midlands-based team won all five of their matches to take the victory, with Harry Goode, Sian Kelly and Johnnie Torjussen doubling up on wins.
Goode and Kelly opened things up with an 11-4 11-8 11-4 win over Isum Arachchige and Natalia Mitchell before Kirby Ngan beat Freya Patel-Redfearn in the women’s singles.
Patel-Redfearn made a brilliant comeback after a disappointing first game but was ultimately downed 11-0 11-8 11-9 by Ngan.
Torjussen won his first match of the day in the men’s singles before linking up with Goode in the doubles to beat Adam Burden and Harley Towler 11-8 11-4 11-8.
Meanwhile, Kelly and Chloe Dennis won the women’s doubles against Mitchell and Patel-Redfearn.
High Wycombe Performance 1-4 Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club
High Wycombe saw their second loss of the National Badminton League come at the hands of Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club on 2 January.
Felix Wright got Wimbledon’s debut off to a strong start with men’s singles victory over Arachchige before Georgia Bland triumphed over Patel-Redfearn in four games.
Bland won her second match of the evening in the women’s doubles alongside Abigail Holden as Toby Penty and Hin Lung Lee fought back from one game down to win the men’s doubles 8-11 11-10 11-5 11-10.
Harley Towler and Jessica Pugh ended Wycombe spirits on a high with mixed doubles victory over Penty and Holden, with a hard-fought victory in five games.
Towler and Pugh came from behind to win 6-11 9-11 11-9 11-7 11-8 in a brilliant comeback.
Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club 2-3 Team Skyfall
Team Skyfall edged a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Wimbledon in their opening test of the National Badminton League on 29 January.
Skyfall’s Nadeem Dalvi triumphed over Felix Wright in the men’s singles after a five-game battle in front of a sell-out crowd.
Dalvi took the spoils in the first game before falling behind, eventually recovering and winning the final two games for the overall victory as Skyfall’s Ethan van Leeuwen and Harry Wakefield won the men’s doubles.
Wimbledon made their mark in the women’s events as Alexandra Oprisan beat Aahna Bhatia 11-9 11-5 11-8 and Bland and Holden took their second women’s doubles victory of the series by triumphing over Lucy Brierley and Annie Lado.
With two points apiece, it all came down to the mixed doubles and Skyfall’s Annie Lado and Rory Easton were not going down without a fight, securing the win in four games and handing their team the overall victory.
Team Skyfall next take on the University of Nottingham on 20 February before all teams take to the court in a final battle to determine the standings on 18 March.
