n LOCAL badminton players are to compete for £1,000 prize money in a Bolton tournament.

The inaugural Markland Hill Adult Open will take place on Saturday and Sunday, January 19 and 20, and will feature men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles events.

Organised by Markland Hill Racquets Club in Heaton, the entry fee is £12 per player for each event.

The club is one of 30 across the country selected from 2,000 which applied to take part in Badminton England’s pilot Club Evolution scheme.

“We’re hoping that players from Bolton and all over the North West will take part in the tournament to promote badminton locally,” said the club’s head badminton coach Andy Tatum.

“We currently run a variety of events and full coaching programme to encourage the sport in Bolton and to welcome all standards of players to the club.

“Taking part in this Badminton England scheme is a great honour and will help the club go from strength to strength in the coming months.”

Britain’s most successful badminton coach and player, former GB Olympic coach Andy Wood, and one of the country’s best known players, Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson, will be hosting coaching and activity master class sessions at the Victoria Road club on Saturday, February 23.

It will be open to all ages, with coaching of under-18s in the morning, adult learners in the afternoon, and adult advanced players in the evening. The sessions cost £20 and further details of this and the open tournament are available by emailing andytatam@gmail.com or tenniscoach@yahoo.co.uk.