Thornden Community Badminton Club has been offering affordable coaching and play to kids for almost 40 years and plays out of Thornden School in Chandlers Ford. For Juniors, the club runs three levels, Bronze/Primary, Silver and Gold. Players start as beginners at Bronze/Primary level and progress through to Silver and Gold as their skills develop. Once a year, all juniors, regardless of skill level, are encouraged to participate in the club tournament in April.
In the summer of 2019, a junior member’s parent approached the committee to start a Seniors division. With the help of a start-up grant from Badminton England, we launched our Adults Division in September 2019, aimed at adults who know their way around the court, but might be a bit rusty. The Seniors division plays Tuesday nights at the new Sports Pavilion in Chandlers Ford and also runs occasional ‘Improvers’ Courses.
The club is run by volunteers. The fees cover court hire, professional coaching and equipment.
Our Coaches
Beulah Moody – Juniors coach
Beulah started playing when she was 8 years old and has played at county level for 16 years, winning Hampshire Singles Champion 2017. Among her many titles, she was ranked 9th in the UK as a Junior. She’s been coaching badminton for nine years (children, adult education, people with learning disabilities and people with physical disabilities).
Beulah says… I absolutely love coaching! It is lovely to see people having fun and enjoying a sport they have never played before, and hugely rewarding watching them improve and progress!
Chris Shepperd – Juniors coach
Chris has been a professional coach for over 30 years. His career titles prove badminton is a life-long sport: English National Masters Championships 2016 Men’s Doubles Over 35 Winner and Yonex All England 2010 Men’s Singles Over 40 Champion among many others. His best achievement was being ranked 9th in the UK in Men’s Singles, when he was a wee bit younger than he is now.
Chris is the creator of badmintoncoach.tv, which contains some of the best instructional badminton videos available on Youtube. He uses his years of experience to break down each stroke and movement into manageable steps.
Linda Bennett – Seniors Coach
(Photo coming soon.) Linda is fairly new to coaching but has been competing in County championships for a number of years. She competes in the Masters and Senior circuits and is ranked 16 in Mixed Doubles (Badminton England Masters 2019). She represents Hampshire in the Masters County Championships Over 40s.
She brings with her an enthusiastic energy and charm enjoyed by all who attend her classes.