BADMINTON coach Paul Whetnall is keen to widen the game's appeal, so much so that he appeared on Channel 4's Under The Moon sports programme earlier this month.

"It was good; hopefully it came across well but it was a bit late in the evening," said Whetnall, a former England international.

"In badminton there are a lot of casual players (about 5 million) but only a small percentage play in competition," he said.

He is keen to improve standards but says enjoyment is the most important thing. "The main attraction for youngsters is it's fun and you can hire a court for very little," he said. Whetnall, 51, is coach at the Park Langley Club in Beckenham. He also teaches badminton at local schools as part of an initiative between the club and the council.

He and partner Ray Sharp, 53, are current Over 50 national doubles champions and holders of the 1997 European Veterans title. "We've played together now for 32 years," said Whetnall, who first represented his country against South Africa in 1967.

They hope to compete in the World Masters in Oregon, USA, later this year but funding could be a problem.

To try and raise some cash, Whetnall has organised a 24-hour badminton marathon on June 6. He will play members at Park Langley for half an hour at a time with short breaks in between.

Mike Harding and some fellow members have already offered to stump up the £100 entry fee and a quiz night is being held to help him. Sports goods manufacturers Prince have also offered rackets and sports equipment as raffle prizes.

Whetnall says he hopes to enter the singles event as well and the marathon should help him towards this goal. "I do coaching every day for six to eight hours and I'm running fairly regularly each week, so I'm taking it quite seriously," he said.

If your business can help Whetnall reach the World Masters in August, please call Sue Tullett at the Park Langley Club on 0181 658 9028.

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