This week was the launch of the first UK National Badminton League with teams from Surrey, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough pitting top stars alongside rising talent, competing monthly with one match per round shown live on Sky Sports.
The league features innovations such as a new scoring system, powerplays and sudden death tie breaks to demonstrate the speed and excitement of the sport.
The first round of games saw Surrey beat Milton Keynes 4-1 and Birmingham coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Derby 3-2. It is hoped that this new exposure of the sport will encourage more people to take up what is already a popular game. Anyone interested in trying the sport Aycliffe Badminton Club play at the Leisure Centre every Friday evening from 7.30 to 9.30.
New players and members are always welcome. For more information visit http://aycliffebadminton.webs.com/ or Facebook (Aycliffe Badminton Club) or Twitter @AycliffeBC