Schoolgirl Lucie proves a smash hit for Glo'shire badminton team (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Schoolgirl Lucie proves a smash hit for Glo'shire badminton team

CIRENCESTER schoolgirl Lucie Vickers starred for the Glo'shire U17 badminton team in their Inter-County Team (ICT) tournament, held recently at Nottingham University.

This prestigious competition attracted 37 county teams from England, Ireland and Wales and Vickers, from the Corinium club, helped Gloucestershire to 14th place and also the leading South West county.

Vickers, who usually plays at U15s level, was involved in a number of matches in this four-day event, winning doubles matches against Middlesex and Guernsey before showing her best form in a gutsy display of singles against Leinster.

Chasing everything and catching out her opponent several times by getting back the nigh impossible, she reached 20-19.

She then had to remain cool as the service passed back and forth several times before she scored the winning hit. Her win helped Gloucestershire to beat the Irish team by 13 points after a 5-5 draw to secure 14th place overall.

Lucie was again in action a fortnight later in the SW Counties Badminton Association U15 junior singles championships at Melksham.

She won all her matches in the group stages to secure a quarter-final place against Lorraine Koller from Guernsey.

Despite aggravating an injury, Lucie easily won this match 11-3 11-4 before moving on to a semi-final against Koller's fellow team mate from Guernsey, Kiara Green.

This match went on for almost 45 minutes, holding up the girls' doubles which was the next scheduled event! Green won the first set 11-9, but Vickers battled back to take the second 11-9.

And just when it looked as if she might have the advantage in the third, Green came back strongly and, despite Lucie's legendary fighting spirit, took the match with a 11-6 win in the final set.

In an excellent tournament for Glo'shire badminton, Megan Stancombe, from Tetbury, and Bourton-on-the-Water's Laura Stratford both qualified in the U11s Singles Challenge Regional Round at Stratford Park, Stroud, on Sunday to represent the South West Region at the National Badminton Championships at Milton Keynes in June.

Both players finished in top places in the group stages and were well placed for the next round to gain a top-six place in the final positions.

Megan finished in third place while Laura was fifth and, with the other two Gloucestershire girls getting first and fourth, this continued the County girls' domination at this age group.

The Glo'shire boys finished in third, tenth, 14th and 17th places to give the county first place in the team event.