IT is perhaps no surprise the daughter of Bolton's former international badminton player Chris Hunt has inherited her father's competitive edge.

But that's where the sporting similarity ends as young Gabriella Giambattista-Hunt has proved a smash-hit on the slopes rather than the badminton court.

The nine-year-old Clevelands Prep School pupil took up skiing a few years ago after attending a session at Rossendale Ski Centre and recently won bronze at the British Artificial Slope Championships.

Gabriella very quickly showed a natural aptitude for downhill racing and while her dad was understandably reticent about encouraging such a dangerous pastime he has thrown his full support behind her.

So much so that Chris, of Markland Hill, recently agreed to take over as chairman of Ski Rossendale Race Club (SRRC) – an offshoot of the centre that has grown in popularity in the last few years.

Its young members are starting to reap the rewards of their twice weekly sessions with coaches Chris Royle and Grodon Wellens.

As well as Gabriella's third-place finish in the under-10s category at this year's British Championships, held in Pontypool, team-mate Rebecca Hart, also of Bolton, won bronze in the u12s.

Rebecca, a pupil at St Andrews CoE School in Over Hulton and daughter of Westhoughton High School head teacher Phil Hart, also claimed silver at the Welsh Open, which was held on the same slope the previous day.

Other young members from the Rossendale club were also in the medals at the British Championships, while Gabriella recently finished overall second in the Outdoor Ambition GBR race series, competed for at different dry ski slopes across the country.

Chris, who went to the Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games and won six Commonwealth badminton medals, as well as two European titles and a host of national awards, is understandably proud of his daughter's sporting success.

But as chairman of the fledgling race club, he has been equally pleased by its progress and is keen to help that to continue.

"When I first started bringing Gabriella here about two-and-a-half years ago members only tended to take part in fun, local races," he said.

"But after a few of the youngsters showed an interest in more serious, national events things have taken off from there.

"Membership has grown to 31 over the past two years and we are always looking to welcome more.

"They are all youngsters and it is great to see their passion and enthusiasm for the sport.

"It is still predominantly a social scene, all the kids are having fun and whether or not they take it further I think it definitely has a real benefit for their personal development.

"I can't lie, it's not a sport for the faint-hearted and it can be quite nerve-wracking as a parent to watch, but results have shown what can be achieved, even by a small club like ours, if you have the right coaching and the kids go into it with the right attitude."

Rossendale Ski Centre recently gained approval for a big refurbishment programme, with more than £600,000 due to be spent on updating the all-weather facility.

Chris wants to ensure the race club takes advantage of the investment by attracting more members.

"The committee is in the process of drawing up plans for taster sessions, and we are also hoping to reach out to local schools to arrange group sessions for pupils," he added.

SRRC membership costs £15 a month, which pays for two weekly coaching sessions.

Members also have to pay to use Rossendale Ski Centre, which is £10 a visit, £28.50 a month or £63.50 a month for a family of four.

Anyone interested in giving it a go can also pay £5 for a one-off coaching session, plus £10 entry to the centre.

To find out more visit www.skirossendale.co.uk