Massive entry for Carlton Leisure Centre Championships
15th November 2006The entries have closed and there has been a massive response to BADMINTON England and racket and equipment specialists Carlton’s new tournament aimed at leisure centres and their players.
A total of 120 centres from 36 counties or areas spanning six regions throughout England have entered teams in the Carlton National Leisure Centres Championships, which is being run in association with Central Sports.
Centres from as far apart as Penzance in the South West to Penrith in the North will compete in a tournament aimed at offering casual players the chance to take on opponents beyond their immediate social circle and compete against players from other leisure centres in pursuit of national glory . . . and lots of Carlton prizes.
There are some great local rivalries, too. For instance, in Staffordshire the three centres under the control of Lichfield District Council – King Edward VI, Friary Grange and Burntwood – have all entered. In fact, Staffordshire have the biggest county entry with 10 centres ready to fight it out in a bid to be top dogs in the Midlands.
No wonder Carlton and Central Sports are excited by what lies ahead over the coming months.
Carlton, the badminton arm of Dunlop Slazenger International, are already proactive in the sport, particularly as part of the partnership behind the English National Championships and as the racket of choice of World and Commonwealth champions Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms.
TOBY MARCHAM, Dunlop Slazenger’s Indoor Sports Marketing Manager, said:
“I am delighted by the response to the Carlton National Leisure Centres Championships. The championships provide the opportunity for amateurs to play badminton competitively and, as the UK’s number one specialist badminton brand, Carlton strive to be involved with initiatives at a grass roots level.”
CHRIS JONES, who is a director of the UK’s No 1 specialist badminton retailer Central Sports of Coventry, said: “It is a chance for us to reach players we haven’t reached before and, most importantly, at grass-roots level. There are 6million players out there and this is a chance for us to help them pick the right equipment and to advise them on how to develop and improve their game.”
DARREN PARKS, Events Manager of BADMINTON England, said: "This is a great new concept and now the entries are in, we can't wait for the first players to start the competition and win through to the regional rounds.”
The first step on the road to the finals at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes in May is the internal round where each centre stages a mini-tournament to find who will represent them in a total of seven individual events.
The 120 centres have received their starter packs and information on how to arrange the matches, first within their own centre and then their region.
The Championships is for players over 16 featuring all five events – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles – and there is also a veterans' section for Over 50s featuring men's and women's doubles.
Players from the 120 centres are competing for the chance to be Carlton National Leisure Centres champions and to win thousands of pounds worth of Carlton prizes. By the finish in May there will be a total of 1400 individual winners at the various levels as the competition unfolds.