BAT's Badminton Club -  Juniors

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BAT's Badminton Club prides itself on the depth and quality of its junior badminton coaching and players. The club currently have a number of Badminton England trained coaches affiliated to the club.

The club runs:

• a one hour junior training session at Bere Alston Community Hall (Primary School) on a Monday evening
  
• a one hour individual / small group coaching session at Bere Alston Community Hall (Primary School) on a Monday evening
  
• beginner and improver junior training sessions at Horrabridge Primary School on Wednesdays. (The Wednesday club is run under the umbrella of Horrabridge Badminton Club).
  
• all age training session at Tavistock Community Sports Centre on Thursdays
  

All juniors work towards nationally recognised certificates and a presentation evening at the end of each season at each of the sessions.

Each February the juniors are encouraged to enter the local Junior Tournament organised by the Plymouth & District League. Over the years our juniors have brought home plenty of trophies, though, of course, enjoyment of the day is the most important part of the day.

A number of the juniors have gone on to play in the county squads, both junior and senior, and many of them have have subsequently qualified as coaches in their own right.

Currently there are over 40 juniors being coached with ages ranging from 7 to 16.

A Brief History

BAT's Badminton Club has, for many years, run a junior club in Bere Alston. Initially the session was run by Heather Cooper in the Village Hall but when the new Primary School hall was built in 1995 the club moved there. In 1994 Heather was joined by Alan Berry as the assistant coach and the club continued to produce juniors who went on to make their names in badminton both locally and further afield.

In 1995 the coach at Horrabridge Primary School, Barbara Bitton, asked Alan Berry to assist her with the juniors there. Soon after Horrabridge Badminton Club set up a junior section under the lead coach of Barbara, with Alan assisting her. On the retirement of Barbara in 2000 Alan took on the leadership of the Horrabridge Junior Club with Heather being the assistant coach.

In 2009 Heather Cooper 'retired' from coaching and Alan took over leading the coaching at both junior clubs with Colette David and James David now assisting at Bere Alston.