Badminton - Warwickshire players impress at English Championships

Feb 5 2008 By Nick Pullen, Birmingham Mail

WARWICKSHIRE players were to the fore at the English Championships in Manchester.

Both Jill Pittard and 17-year-old Fontaine Chapman made it through to the women's singles semi-finals.

Pittard, who has finished runner-up three times, lost 21-18, 21-16 to Commonwealth champion Tracey Hallam.

Unseeded Chapman, who is coached at Streetly by John Lueng and was making her debut in the senior championships, lost 21-10, 21-13 to eventual winner Elizabeth Cann, from Jersey, who went on to beat Hallam 21-15, 21-19 in the final.

Warwickshire's Mark Constable reached the men's semi-finals where he lost to favourite and newly-crowned champion Rajiv Ouseph 21-14, 17-21, 21-13.

Former Olympic medalist Simon Archer reached the mixed doubles semi-finals with Sarah Bok, of Yorkshire, where they were beaten 21-6, 21-18 by defending champions Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg.