27 September 2024
The World Junior Mixed Team Championships are a calendar highlight in the badminton world and the England team are looking to bring the heat as the competition heads to China.
Badminton England have selected a seven-strong squad to head Nanchang with the competition beginning on Monday, and are determined to jump up the standings after finishing 14th overall last year.
EJP Programme Coach Kat Hurrell was optimistic about the team’s prospects after a string of strong performances in the build-up.
“We’ve had a really good couple of weeks leading into the event,” she said.
“A lot of the team have been training at the National Badminton Centre so on-court preparations have been really good. Lots of sparring, high intensity, high level practice so I’m really pleased with where we’re at.
“It’s a really interesting event,” she added. “We start off with the team event – we’re in a group with four other countries – and we’ve got some tough competition, but we want to win.”
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Of the seven English players, Lucy Brierley and Jia Bin Lee are the only two with experience at the World Mixed Team Juniors, with Matilda Franklin, Benjamin Horseman, Jason Ou, Lila Dundas and Rajvi Parab completing the squad.
And Hurrell is confident the strength and depth of the squad is an exciting prospect.
“For everyone else it will be their first experience at this level,” she said. “We have a real variety – some full age players, some a bit younger, but they will all get great exposure and experience on a big stage.
“It’s such an exciting event and will be a great opportunity for them to play against some of the best players in the world,” she added. “It’s the first major opportunity our players get to play at an event of this scale.
“It’s also the best chance for our players to see what the level of play is across the world. We’re usually up to date with that across Europe but we don’t always get to see the level from further afield.
“It’s great for our players to go and see for themselves, with their own eyes, what they are up against.”
England will face Japan, Slovenia, Latvia and Uganda in the group stages with 40 teams set to compete across eight groups prior to the knockout and placing stages.
Hurrell is no novice when it comes to coaching on the main stage, but retired Olympian and former national champion Toby Penty will also be present to offer his expertise as an assistant coach.
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“Toby brings a lot of experience as both a player and a coach,” she said. “He’s really good because he’s able to relate his experience to our players who really want to engage with him.
“It’s really valuable to have someone who’s been there, done it and knows how they’re going to be feeling when they step out on the court.
“I know the team will benefit from his knowledge.He’s a lovely guy to be around so he’ll be a great addition to the team and really good at keeping the players calm, as well as getting them really pumped and excited for the event.”
With the individual competition to look ahead to at the close of the team event, Hurrell knows expectation from players and fans will be high, but believes the results will come if the team keep their focus.
“Practising on the main courts and getting the players acclimatised to the hall will be key,” she said. “It takes them some time to adjust but we’ll get them into a good routine to feel familiar with the space.
“As far as the individual competition goes, it’s always hard to predict because we don’t know who we’re going to be up against.
“I just want to see really good competitors prepared to give everything they’ve got on the court and make the most of the opportunity.
“If they can show their best level, hopefully we can keep progressing through the tournament – we always try to set out and finish in the top 16.
“That means we need to finish second in our group, so we will be aiming for that. We’ve got tough competition against Japan, but we will go into every match trying to be as competitive as possible.”
While the players will compete as individuals in some elements of the tournament, Hurrell was also full of praise for the wider team that make it all possible.
She added: “Badminton England, YONEX, the coaches, support team, parents – there’s such a huge network behind the scenes.
“We’ll only be a small team in China, but we couldn’t do it without the support of all those people at home.
“We’re always very grateful for the effort that goes in to get the players to this point.”