Students were treated to a special exhibition match at Malet Lambert School today, with two former England badminton players showing off their skills.
Jason Marshall and Mike Reid were drafted in by Head of PE Andrew Ripley to play a match against each other, giving students an idea of what professional badminton looks like.
He said, “We have a pretty good uptake on badminton at Malet Lambert.
“In fact, our Key Stage 3 boys team became Hull champions back in December, and will be representing Hull in the Humber School Games next Thursday.
“But we wanted to give our current badminton team the chance to see how truly fast-paced the game can be at the top level, and hopefully inspire non-team members to give it a go.”
Many students - and staff - missed their lunch to come and sit in the packed sports hall and watch Jason and Mike, who both competed as juniors, slog it out in the fun match.
Jason, who is currently training to be a teacher, has also been taking on a few training sessions with badminton team members.
Mr Ripley commented, “He’s particularly been concentrating on the back hand, because our students have found that to be something they struggle with.
“It’s brilliant for them to have access to former professionals like this - we hope it will spur them on to play more badminton, at school and at home.
“Hopefully they’ve picked up some good tips and can go on to win the Humber School Games for Hull next week.!"