Facing their East Midlands rivals on home turf at Loughborough University, the side in purple fielded a young, untested team due to a number of injuries, which from the off made it an uphill task against a strong Derby outfit. In front of a 200 strong crowd, who did their utmost to get behind the Loughborough team, they eventually lost out 1-4.

David King (Loughborough Lightning) (Photo: David Crawford / www.stillsport.com)

A late injury to talisman Henri Hurskainen meant David King got his first taste of NBL action, and the Loughborough University student acquitted himself superbly.

After losing the opener 5-9, an audacious through the legs winning shot helped the youngster fight back, taking the second game 9-4, and that gave him some serious positive energy. Despite losing the third 4-9, King composed himself to slaughter three time Olympian Scott Evans 9-2 in the fourth and take it to a tiebreak.

Opting for the Powerplay from the off, King won a tense rally before wrapping up a fantastic victory, falling to his knees as the home crowd went wild.

“I can’t believe it! I was so nervous going into the match as I haven’t played singles in quite a while now, and I only got the call up last night. He’s a very good opponent and it was such a fun game; I didn’t expect to win it but I just wanted to give it my best shot and it’s great to come away with the win.

“This is right up there with some of my best experiences on a badminton court. We have an amazing home crowd: I haven’t played in front of a crowd this big before and the support really kept me going.”

With captain Chloe Birch nursing a minor injury and only contesting the women’s doubles, it was Jordan Hart who stepped in to take on Lyddia Cheah Yi Yu in the opening event, the women’s singles.

The Welsh champion and her Malaysian rival got the evening off to the perfect start as their match went to five games. As passionate as they come on court, the Loughborough University student took the first game 9-8 but Cheah fought back 4-9. Trailing 7-8 and match point down in the third, Hart used her Powerplay to steal the game 9-8, much to the delight of the home crowd.

It wasn’t over there though, as the game took another turn and Cheah again pegged Hart back to take it to the decider. Using her Powerplay from the off, the Derby player went 0-2 ahead, before wrapping up the event 0-3 in the fifth.

Despite eventually losing out, Hart said: “I’m really chuffed with how I played and I thought I had the upper hand when I took the set with the Powerplay, but Lydia is very experienced and got on top of me to win the set after that. Unfortunately she won her Powerplay in the tiebreaker and managed to see it out.

“This is my first season getting off the bench and I’ve played the last three matches, so I’m absolutely buzzing to have played my part this season and hopefully I’ve shown that I’m good at this format and I can win games. Hopefully next season they’ll put me in the team again and I’ll get more opportunities to play.”

Next up were alumni Peter Briggs and Harley Towler, the men’s doubles pairing facing former Loughborough man Marcus Ellis, the Olympic bronze medallist playing alongside Nico Rupponen. Unfortunately the Derby duo showed their class, taking the event in straight sets.

The third game of the night was the women’s doubles, featuring captain Birch and her fellow Loughborough student Viki Williams. The first game couldn’t have been tighter, however it followed the momentum on the night, the opposition taking it 8-9.

The ladies in purple were more than up for the fight though, as they took the second game 9-7, but a cruel Powerplay saw the visitors regain the lead thanks to an 8-9 third game. From their Derby pushed on, taking the fourth game 6-9 to lead the match night 3-0.

Viki Williams and another Lightning debutant Matt Clare took yet another event to a fifth game tiebreak, buoyed on by the feel good factor David King had created in the previous match. Despite ensuring the match went the full duration, they couldn’t quite secure victory, losing out 2-5.

With that Loughborough Lightning end the AJ Bell National Badminton League season in third place, a great achievement with such a young, home-grown squad.

Report courtesy of Loughborough University

It was a night of firsts for the Loughborough team; their first home game as Loughborough Lightning (formerly Loughborough Sport), their first NBL match in the University Badminton Centre and their first match against newcomers Suffolk Saxons. And the first event of the night went exactly to plan.

Loughborough University alumni Peter Briggs and Harley Towler for once didn’t leave it until the final set to secure victory in the men’s doubles. Taking the first game 9-7, the Milton Keynes based pair were quickly pegged back, but that only acted as motivation to drive them on to a convincing 3-1 win.

Loughborough Lightning’s Chloe Birch & Viki Williams vs Suffolk Saxons’ Sarah Walker & Julie Finne-Ipsen. (Photo by David Crawford / www.stillsport.com)

Up next was NBL superstar and Lightning captain Chloe Birch in the women’s singles. With arguably the toughest match of the night on her hands against Denmark’s Julie Finne-Ipsen, Birch got off to the perfect start, taking the first game 9-5. The Dane took a nail-biting second game 7-9, but Birch bounced back, crushing her opponent 9-2 in the third. The tide swung again though in the fourth, with the Loughborough student losing 3-9, so it went down to final, shorter fifth game. In the end it was a rare defeat for the Lightning player, but she’d be back on court to try and make amends in the women’s doubles.

Olympian Henri Hurskainen made light work of his singles match, sweeping aside his young opponent in straight games. Semi-finalist at the Scottish Open over the weekend, the Swede was clearly in fine form and he once again lived up to his ‘hoover’ nickname, much to the delight of the vocal home crowd.

Of his victory the Loughborough talisman said: “I felt in control from the beginning, relaxed and played my own game. The last few weeks I’ve played very well and this week in Scotland was a few steps forward for me, so right now I’m feeling more and more confident. It’s always nice to hear the ‘hoover’ from the crowd and it’s so nice to be back and playing here again.”

Back on court and looking to secure the match night victory for Lightning was Chloe Birch and her women’s doubles partner Viki Williams. The student pairing started well, taking the first game 9-5, backing it up with a thrilling 9-8 win in the second. Despite losing the third, the girls in purple looked like they’d wrapped it up at 8-5, but somehow the Suffolk duo fought back to take it to a tie-break.

Despite showing class and guts in equal measure Birch and Williams couldn’t get across the line, succumbing 2-5 in the fifth to leave it all to play for in the final event, the mixed doubles.

Loughborough University students Greg Mairs and Jenny Moore looked composed, despite the obvious pressure, as they hit the ground running in the decider. Taking the first game 9-6 they really started to play some terrific badminton and raced to a 9-1 win in the second game.

With the finish line in sight and the Loughborough pair opting for their PowerPlay at 7-8, they had the chance to wrap up the match night. A contentious line call against Mairs’ brilliant back hand smash kept the Saxons in the event, and from there it all unravelled for the hosts. Losing the fourth game 4-9 it went to a tie break, and Suffolk opted for their PowerPlay. Winning the rally to go 0-2 in front, it was match point Saxons and they duly converted to wrap up match night victory.

A stunned Greg Mairs said post-match: “It was a bit of shock – I expected to win that and I expect to win most games when I go on. I’m annoyed to lose that. We could have won five-nil tonight; it was so close and it shows what the league is about – anything can happen. A couple of points here or there and it’s gone.

“With seven teams in the league this year we’ve got a few more matches to go and hopefully we can continue to field strong teams and get a few good wins on the board.”

You can see highlights of the match on BT Sport 1, Thursday night at 8pm.

Report courtesy of Loughborough University

The game-changing AJ Bell National Badminton League (NBL) will return to the scene of its first ever fixture after centre:mk in Milton Keynes was confirmed as the host venue for the season ending final – The Ultimate Smashdown – on 8 February 2017.

Ben Lane of Bristol Jets (Photo: Robbie Stephenson/JMP)

centre:mk, one the UK’s biggest shopping centres enjoying more than 27 million visitors per annum, first staged live, top class AJ Bell NBL action in October 2014 when Surrey Smashers beat MK Badminton in the launch fixture of the UK’s first ever professional badminton league.

Now into its third season, the AJ Bell NBL continues to attract a new audience into the Olympic sport with an innovative ‘Power9’ match-play format featuring Powerplays, tie-breaks, final point shoot-outs, time-outs and a shortened scoring system.

Over 1.1 million UK households have tuned in to watch monthly fixtures on TV (with this season broadcast on BT Sport) whilst sell out crowds have packed out iconic venues nationwide as families and sports fans enjoy the drama and entertainment of live badminton.

The Final, dubbed The Ultimate Smashdown, will see the league’s top two teams go head to head to be crowned AJ Bell NBL Champions in front of a live crowd and a nationwide television audience.

Played on a specially laid badminton court in the iconic Middleton Hall, The Ultimate Smashdown will take place just 48 hours after the end of the regular season, giving sports fans the a chance to see their favourite teams and top badminton players, including Olympians, Team GB stars and top talent from Europe and Asia.

Adrian Christy, Badminton England Chief Executive, said:  “The AJ Bell National Badminton League has come a long way since that first fixture in centre:mk but I am delighted that we able to go back to such an exciting venue that started the AJ Bell NBL experience.

“centre:mk prides itself on innovation and this is a value that aligns perfectly with the AJ Bell National Badminton League.

“Badminton England is also proud to be able to play its part in the 50^th anniversary celebrations of Milton Keynes and support its aspirations to become a destination for top class sport.

“By delivering the AJ Bell National Badminton League final in centre:mk, we will endeavour to serve up top class sporting entertainment for fans and families in the local community and beyond to come out and enjoy.”

Tickets for the AJ Bell NBL Final – The Ultimate Smashdown – will go on general from December 2016.

You can find more information on the AJ Bell National Badminton League, including team news, tickets and fixtures here.

Report courtesy of Badminton England 

Top class team badminton will join the likes of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League football, MotoGP and Aviva Premiership Rugby on BT Sport after a new TV deal was struck with Badminton England to broadcast seven match-night fixtures plus the Championship Final in the AJ Bell NBL 2016/17 season.

Since its launch in October 2014, the AJ Bell NBL has drawn a new audience into the Olympic sport. Over 1.1 million UK households have tuned in to watch the innovative ‘Power-9’ match-play format which includes double point PowerPlays, time-outs, tie-breaks and a shortened scoring format.

BT Sport will be the official broadcaster for the 2016/17 season at an important phase in the league’s development with new teams set to compete and exciting new players arriving from Europe and Asia to join forces with the best of British talent.

Thanks to an Olympic bronze medal for Team GB stars Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis in Rio, badminton is enjoying a further surge in popularity with the British public and the return of the AJ Bell National Badminton League to TV screens will strengthen this.

Adrian Christy, Chief Executive of Badminton England who launched the AJ Bell NBL, said: “We are delighted to welcome BT Sport to badminton where the AJ Bell NBL will be the first time the broadcaster has worked with our sport – these are exciting times.

“We have seen what BT Sport has achieved with many other sports where there is a clear focus on maximizing fan engagement and innovation through their presentation.  This is a fantastic fit with the AJ Bell NBL and is very much aligned to the future plans for English badminton.

“Having a broadcaster showing commitment to the league is essential as we look to grow the profile of the league and that of the seven franchise teams who put on a show every match-week both for the TV audience and the sell out crowds live.”

The new partnership with BT Sport gives TV viewers the chance to watch Team GB badminton stars, Rio 2016 Olympians, national champions and some of the sport’s legendary characters perform on a regular basis.

Extended highlights of the first fixture in the 2016/17 AJ Bell National Badminton League will  be shown on Thursday 27 October at 8pm on BT Sport 2.  The top class action comes from Surrey Sports Park in Guildford as Surrey Smashers face last season’s runners up, Loughborough Lightning.

The AJ Bell NBL features seven franchise teams – Loughborough Lightning, Surrey Smashers, Team Derby, University of Nottingham Badminton, Suffolk Saxons, Bristol Jets and reigning champions, Birmingham Lions – competing in 21 regular season fixtures between October and February 2017.

Josh Smith, Commercial Director, BT Sport said: “We are delighted to be part of the AJ Bell NBL and look forward to working with Badminton England and the league to set new standards in the way badminton in televised.

Our customers can look forward to a fast, exciting sport that will be full of drama on BT Sport.”

Report courtesy of Badminton England

After finishing runners-up for the second season in a row, Lightning who were formerly known as Loughborough Sport, travelled south to take on a strong Surrey Smasher side. After going 1-0 down, the team eventually prevailed 4-1, a great start to their 2016/17 campaign.

Loughborough University students Greg Mairs and Jenny Moore lost out in the mixed doubles to former Loughborough student Ben Stawski and his partner Marie Roepke, which was the only celebration for the 500 plus crowd inside the Surrey Sports Park.

Lightning showed why they went unbeaten until the final last year, with student Chloe Birch continuing her scintillating NBL form with a double victory in both the women’s doubles and singles.

With the format changing this year to allow players to contest more than one event per match night, Birch stormed to a 3-1 singles victory, sweeping aside youngster Abigail Holden. That put Lightning 2-1 in front after Swede Henri Hurskainen had won the men’s singles by the same score-line.

That gave Mairs and men’s doubles partner Peter Briggs the chance to clinch match night victory and show the resilience that has become a trademark over the past two seasons. Alumnus Briggs was the perfect partner for Mairs and they wrapped up victory over Surrey Smashers with another 3-1 result.

Captain Birch returned to court with the result beyond doubt, but as always she fought hard for victory alongside fellow Loughborough student Viki Williams. A new pairing, the duo took a little time to find their groove, but looked impressive when they reached fifth gear, fighting back to secure a tie-break victory.

Next up for the victorious Lightning side is a home clash against newcomers Suffolk Saxons. Tickets for the game on Monday 28th November can be bought here.

Report courtesy of Lougborough University

Fontaine Chapman (Photo: Badminton England)

England’s top ranked singles player Chapman flourished in the AJ Bell NBL last season winning 5 of her 7 events and is now preparing for Monday’s visit of Suffolk Saxons, one of two newly established sides added to the AJ Bell NBL, to the Great Hall at University of Birmingham

Chapman, who will face former England international Caroline Westley in the season opener, said “I think having the new teams in the AJ Bell NBL this season is really important for the sport.

“It shows there are more people out there that want to watch badminton and be involved in it.

“We can make sure everybody will get a chance to play; we’ve got more teams which means more matches. I think it’s great for the sport and it’s really important we all get behind the AJ Bell NBL.”

With Suffolk Saxons and Bristol Jets bringing new faces and taking the total of teams to a Magnificent 7, the AJ Bell  NBL continues to showcase the very best of British badminton, as well as a host of international stars, and world No.85 Chapman insists she can’t wait to get back on the court.  10 Rio 2016 Olympians will compete this season, including seven of the Team GB stars as the quality increases.

“I’m really looking forward to the start of the new season and getting back into the NBL action,” Chapman said. “Last season was really good, I had some good wins and some really tough matches that I came through and it was really good to be part of.

“With it being such a short game it’s important to get on top of your opponent straight away and keep that momentum going.

“For the team, it’s really important if we can get a win in the bag in the first match night it puts you in good stead for the next one.

Birmingham Lions welcome Suffolk Saxons to the Great Hall at University of Birmingham on Monday 17 October, starting at 6pm.  For tickets, visit here.

Report courtesy of Badminton England

Photo: Alan Spink

The renewed title sponsorship will see AJ Bell have a strong presence, including on and off court branding, at all 21 fixtures in the 2016/17 season played out between October and February 2017.

AJ Bell also enjoy naming rights to the league’s exciting ‘PowerPlay’ double points rally – an in-play feature exclusive to the AJ Bell NBL that has caught the imagination of supporters.

The AJ Bell NBL features Britain’s best players, top European talent and stars from Asia competing across seven franchise teams – Loughborough Lightning, Surrey Smashers, Team Derby, University of Nottingham Badminton, Suffolk Saxons, Bristol Jets and reigning champions, Birmingham Lions.

Since its launch in October 2014, the AJ Bell NBL has drawn a new audience into the Olympic sport. Over 1.1 million UK households have tuned in to watch the innovative ‘Power-9’ match-play format which includes time-outs, tie-breaks and a shortened scoring format with fixtures played over two hours.

Boosted by a bronze medal at Rio 2016 – Team GB’s first Olympic badminton medal in 12 years – English badminton is enjoying a significant rise in popularity and profile and AJ Bell have renewed their support to the sport as it continues to inspire a new generation of fans.

Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis, English badminton’s medal heroes in Rio, will play for Surrey Smashers and Team Derby respectively in Season 3 of the AJ Bell NBL.

AJ Bell’s sponsorship extension comes on the eve of the 2016/17 season and marks the start of an exciting new phase for the league’s development.  Two new teams – Suffolk Saxons and Bristol Jets – have been added to the league with a new domestic TV broadcaster soon to be announced.

The new AJ Bell National Badminton League season gets under way on Monday 17 October with fixtures in Guildford (Surrey Smashers v Loughborough Lightning) and Birmingham (Birmingham Lions v Suffolk Saxons).

Adrian Christy, CEO of Badminton England, said: “After the brilliant bronze medal won by Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis in Rio, the buzz around English badminton is at a 10-year high and having AJ Bell on board as proud title partners of the NBL only reinforces this.

“They have a fantastic pedigree in sponsoring high profile sporting events and I am delighted they continue to see the AJ Bell NBL as a wise investment.  Our plans to grow the league remain at the forefront of our thinking and I am pleased that AJ Bell will be beside us on that journey.”

AJ Bell has a deep-reaching history of event, team and athlete sponsorship including the AJ Bell London Triathlon and AJ Bell British Squash Grand Prix.

 Billy Mackay, Marketing Director of AJ Bell, says: “At AJ Bell we want more people to enjoy secure, healthy, long and rewarding lives. Through all of our sponsorship activity we aim to foster a mind-set where ‘looking after yourself’ means investing in both your health and your future wealth.

“Badminton is a great fit with that mantra. It is an exciting time for the NBL and English badminton as a whole and we are delighted we are able to continue to support the league.”

Since AJ Bell was founded in 1995 it has quickly grown to become one of the UK’s largest providers of online investment platforms and stockbroker services, offering low-cost SIPPs, ISAs, funds and shares to their 131,100 clients with assets under administration exceeding £28 billion.

You can find out more about the AJ Bell NBL here.

Report courtesy of Badminton England

The opening round of matches will see reigning champions Birmingham Lions start their title defence at home to new franchise team, Suffolk Saxons.

Match-Week 1 also sees Surrey Smashers welcome Loughborough Lightning, last season’s runners up, to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.

The other team taking its first step in the AJ Bell NBL in the new season is the Bristol Jets, who will be making their debut away to Team Derby on Match-Week 2 (7-13 November).

Adrian Christy, Badminton England Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that the new fixtures have been confirmed for what will be the third season of the AJ Bell NBL and the team franchises can start to prepare for the season ahead.

“It’s extremely exciting that will we see the introduction of two new teams to the league – the Bristol Jets and Suffolk Saxons – and we look forward to taking more fast-paced badminton to new audiences across the country.”

Olympic silver medallist and AJ Bell NBL Ambassador Nathan Robertson said: “It’s hard to believe this will be the third season of the NBL but it’s great that the new fixtures have been confirmed and that the league is expanding to seven teams.

“With the reduced format and new rules of the AJ Bell NBL we’ve already witnessed lots of epic matches and comebacks, but as all the teams strengthen their squads I think this season promises to the best yet.”

Andrew Billingham, Bristol Sport CEO, said: “We are hugely excited about the start of the season. Our squad is taking shape nicely with ex England International Chris Coles and the recent announcement of the formidably talented Lane brothers.

“There is a lot to do between now and the first match, but it is exciting that Bristol will have a team in the top-flight and the synergies between the Bristol Jets and the rest of our sports teams will work well together to attract even more people to playing and watching sport.”

Season 3 of the AJ Bell NBL will feature players from 16 different nations, including European stars and GB players currently competing in Rio including Chris and Gabby Adcock, Raj Ouseph and Adam Cwalina.

Tickets for the fixtures will be available from the respective team:

Birmingham Lions

Bristol Jets

Loughborough Lightning

Suffolk Saxons

Surrey Smashers

Team Derby

University of Nottingham Badminton

You can view the 2016/17 AJ Bell NBL fixtures here.