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My Passion: Why badminton was a smash hit with me from an early age
I started playing badminton when I was about eight, introduced to it by my dad who played for a local club in Leicestershire.
This meant turning up before the main club met, in a small village hall, trying as hard as I could to beat both my dad and my older brother – it wasn't long before I succeeded.
When I was 10, I entered my first tournament and won, followed by a further win in the same tournament the following year.
These performances, combined with entering the Leicestershire county junior tournament, earned me an invite to train with the county team, which I continued to represent until the age of 18.
Highlights during this time included helping Leicestershire to a highest-ever placing of fourth in the national inter-county tournament (won that year by Yorkshire), representing the senior county at the age of 17, and winning various county and regional tournaments. During this time I also played (although didn't win) against a number of players who have subsequently gone on to represent Great Britain, including Nathan Robertson, who won silver at the Athens Olympics.
Badminton is an incredibly fast sport, requiring exceptional reaction times from players. The fastest smash speed on record was 206mph, which, over a small court, means that rallies can be over very quickly.
It is a very demanding game to play both physically and technically, with years of training and commitment required to reach the higher levels of the sport. Historically, this has meant that it is very difficult for players to make a professional living from the sport – the lack of interest and coverage from the media have also not helped.
Things are looking more promising, however, as lottery funding has significantly improved this situation in recent years.
Traditionally, Yorkshire has been consistently one of the best counties in the country for producing players, which means that league badminton in the county is very strong.
I have played in a number of leagues across the country and really enjoy the friendly, competitive nature of league badminton, playing for a team, and developing a network of contacts within the sport in a number of locations.
I still head down to London every year for the Finsbury Badminton club annual tournament, having played there for three years before I moved to Sheffield.
Last year I was involved in starting a new club from scratch in Sheffield – Mavericks Badminton Club, and we have just completed our first season, winning one of the leagues that we competed in.
I am enjoying the game just as much now as I have always done, and it is a great way to meet new people and relax outside of the office. Hopefully our club will attract new members and grow, and I look forward to many more years of competition.
Matt Wilcox, senior assurance manager at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Sheffield.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
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