Center Parcs gearing up to host largest schools participation event

Center Parcs, the leader in the UK short break holiday market, is gearing up to host England’s largest schools participation event – the Center Parcs National Badminton Schools Championships – which gets underway in a months time.

The 15,000 participants aged 11-16, including entries from over 350 independent schools and School Sports Partnerships, have been whittled down through months of hard fought competition in county and regional rounds to just 36 schools who will contest the Finals.

The National Final, which takes place over the weekend of the 25 and 26 April at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, will see the finalists battle it out in two different age groups to determine who will be crowned National Champions in each of the four categories.

Three schools, Exmouth Community College (Devon), Robert Mays (Hampshire) and Nottingham Girls High School (Nottinghamshire) are returning for the 2008/9 Championships as defending champions hoping to regain their National titles. With one school, Charters School (Berkshire), hoping to go one better than last year in the boys year 10/11 category to take the title.

Colin Whaley, Sales & Marketing Director at Center Parcs, said:

“Center Parcs is proud to be the main sponsor of the National Schools Championships. We are very excited to be hosting the Finals, and look forward to welcoming some of the most promising young badminton players in the country to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest. Congratulations to all those who have made it to finals and I look forward to watching some keenly contested matches on our courts in April."

The participating schools that have qualified for the Final are:

North East:

Boys 7/8/9       Benfield School, Tyne and Wear

Boys 10/11      Benfield School, Tyne and Wear

Girls 7/8/9        Church High, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Girls 10/11       Church High, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Yorkshire:

Boys 7/8/9       Tolbar BE College, Grimsby

Boys 10/11      St Mary’s College, Hull

Girls 7/8/9        Sheffield High School, Sheffield (Runners-up 2007/8)

Girls 10/11       Garforth, Leeds

North West:

Boys 7/8/9       Birkdale High School, Merseyside

Boys 10/11      Birkdale High School, Merseyside

Girls 7/8/9        Altrincham Grammer School for Girls, Altrincham

Girls 10/11       Altrincham Grammer School for Girls, Altrincham

West Midlands:

Boys 7/8/9       St Joseph’s College, Horwich, Bolton

Boys 10/11      Solihull School, Solihull

Girls 7/8/9        King Edwards VI Handsworth, Birmingham

Girls 10/11       King Edwards VI Camp Hill Girls, Birmingham

East Midlands:

Boys 7/8/9       William Farr, Welton, Lincoln

Boys 10/11      Nottingham High School, Nottingham

Girls 7/8/9        Trent College, Nottingham

Girls 10/11       Nottingham Girls High School, Nottingham (Winners 2007/8)

East:

Boys 7/8/9       Davenant, Loughton, Essex

Boys 10/11      Colchester Royal Grammer School, Essex

Girls 7/8/9        Chancellors, Hertfordshire

Girls 10/11       Thorpe St Andrew High School, Norwich

London:

Boys 7/8/9       Wilson’s School, Wallington, Surrey

Boys 10/11      Wilson’s School, Wallington, Surrey

Girls 7/8/9        Helenswood School, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex

Girls 10/11       Mascalls Schools, Tonbridge, Kent

South:

Boys 7/8/9       Denbigh School, Milton Keynes

Boys 10/11      Charters School, Sunningdale, Berkshire (Runners-up 2007/8 Yrs 7/8/9)

Girls 7/8/9        Robert Mays, Odiham, Hampshire (Winners 2007/8)

Girls 10/11       The Royal Latin, Buckingham

South West:

Boys 7/8/9       Exmouth Community College, Exmouth (Winners 2007/8)

Boys 10/11      Bournemouth School for Boys, Bournemouth

Girls 7/8/9        Talbot Heath, Bournemouth, Dorset

Girls 10/11       Truro School, Truro