Nickname
Bung
Left/Right Handed
Right Handed
Racket
If Amy’s playing a rubbish one at the bottom of her bag, if she’s not playing I pinch hers (and usually break a string and put it back in her bag)
Coaching Status
Level 2. Head Coach at Chew Valley.
Chew Valley Teams played for
Mixed A, Mens A (ready to go down the teams now starting next season)
Other Badminton teams played for
Avon, Gloucester, Middlesex (once), Cheltenham & Glos College, Dumbleton, Bristol & District, Beaufort and England Juniors.
Best Achievement as a player
1982 – England Un12 National Singles Champion
1989 – European Un18 Mixed Doubles Silver
1991 – British Colleges Mixed Doubles Champion
1992 – British Universities Mens Doubles Champion
Best Achievement as a coach
• Setting up Chew Valley Juniors on a Saturday morning following on from Gene & Lynne starting up the club several years before.
• Supporting, through the club, over 15 CV Juniors to take their Level 1 Qualification.
• Taking four teams to the National Junior League Finals at the National Badminton Centre
• Setting up and running the Avon Development Squad.
Favourite Place to play other than Chew
• Bishops Barn, Wells. There are many other places I have enjoyed playing but none anywhere near as much as this venue.
• Uphill – Brilliant Junior club, superb coaches. Uphill Juniors & Chew Juniors have a very special relationship.
Favourite Tournament
The National Junior League Tournament. I was gutted when that finished a couple of seasons ago. Best delivered concept/project ever by Badminton England. Massive thanks to BE for putting that tournament on and capturing the imagination of so many young grass roots players.
Person who inspired me as a coach
James Elkin. Lots of reasons. I learn from him every time I meet and work with him and (all told) probably the only person I know who is a bigger badminton loon than me (Mark Edwards included)
A player you have particularly enjoyed coaching at Chew Valley and why?
I’ve enjoyed coaching every player at the club . I particularly enjoy coaching players who give 100% and are committed to improving, whatever their standard is. For lots of reasons I particularly enjoyed coaching Toby the Hair because of his pure love of the game and his selfless contribution to the club.
Favourite Comedy Moment playing badminton
• Every session Harley attends.
• Denting the floor diving at Uphill playing with Mat Cleaves.
• As Gene and I are now a 110 year old partnership we struggle to keep control of all of our physicality on court, bits falling off all over the place,. Pretty basic humour for two of the Senior coaches at the club but funny nevertheless. Love playing doubles with all of my recent partners – Claire, Ryan, Gene and everyone else at the club I’ve had the chance to partner.
Favourite Badminton Player
• Nick Perrott (my first long term partner as a Junior).
• The All England Champions Endo & Watanabe are the most entertaining doubles pair in the history of the sport. No exceptions. They can defend for long periods of time and still win matches when every match stat suggests they shouldn’t have done.
Favourite Quotes
• ‘You are not a Palm Tree. You are a Badminton Player’
• ‘Listen, or i’ll throw you in a hedge’
• ‘Tom Loosley is the best demonstrator in the Northern Hemisphere’
• ‘Roll on. We love it’
• ‘Too Many Weapons’
• ‘Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches that have pushed you is the little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her’.
Sporting Hero/Heroine
Steven Gerrard or Goran Ivanisevic
Other sports you play/have played
Cricket, Rugby, Football, Running, Swimming, Tennis.
What are your other non-sporting interests?
Walking, Watching films, Swimming. I also like cider.
Football Team
Liverpool and Bristol City
Rugby Team
Bristol Bears
What do you enjoy most about coaching at Chew Valley Badminton Club?
Literally everything.