TEENAGE badminton stars from the district have excelled on the national stage once again.

They competed in a Badminton England National Silver U17 Circuit event at Thornaby on Teesside, and returned home with top honours.

In the mixed doubles, Charlotte Graham and Tim Bodani earned a place in the semi-finals after winning their group convincingly. This included a win against Yorkshire pair Thomas and Wadsworth, 15-11, 15-13.

They then produced a fine tactical, attacking performance to win against the strong pairing of Craig and McMillan, of Glasgow, 15-9, 15-8, to reach the final.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, of Hexham, and Ponteland’s Bodani, they where they defeated Scotland’s number one ranked pair of Taylor and Stewart in three sets.

Nevertheless, the local pair gained vital experience and confidence as they picked up their silver medals.

In the singles, Tim came through his group comfortably, before bowing out at the semi-finals stage to Scotland’s Finlay Jack in a narrow defeat. He settled for a well-earned bronze medal.

Another bronze was won by Tim, this time partnering James Dodd in the boys’ doubles. They reached the semi-finals before losing a close three-set encounter against a pair from Glasgow.

Charlotte just missed out on a place in the girls’ singles semi-finals, after a thrilling match against Scotland’s number two seed Sophie Barrie. This followed an encouraging victory against Yorkshire first team player Sian Phillips.

In the girls’s doubles, Charlotte and Amy Ward were bronze medallists after reaching the semi-finals.

“No golds today,” said Charlotte. “But I’m pleased with our medals as it was one of the toughest tournaments we’ve played in.

“I love playing against tough opposition from over the border, but also from the northern counties too.

“I’m really proud of all of the Northumberland players who took part. They should all gain confidence as they were all competitive. We’ve all realised there are no easy matches at this level.”