Trevor looks back and forward after 40 years

In the boys doubles he was to partner Bill Thompson who was to become one of the country’s top internationals in the Eighties and Nineties.

But whilst the intervening years may have somewhat dimmed the memories of that particular event for the Club Manager of the Lisburn Racquets Club I am sure some may have flashed back to him as he and his wife Alison sat in a badminton hall in Barcelona watching their twin daughters Rachael and Rebecca make their debuts for Ireland.

Although Trevor’s own competitive playing career was all-too-short he has over the past couple of decades been in a position to see that the future of badminton in the province is very bright indeed but was naturally overjoyed when Rachael and Rebecca put aside the fact that they were actually making their international debuts on their 12th birthdays but went on to lift a silver medal in the doubles while Rachael captured bronze in the Under 15 singles.

In that doubles event they were up against a French pair, Juliette Nonnet and Lilou Ricard, who had taken the opening set 21-17. The twins came back to level winning the second convincingly 21-12 and the decider was a tense affair – not only for the watching parents – and they actually were ahead 11-7 at the changeover before the French pair took the gold medal 21-18.

In the singles Rachael had got off to a great start, recording a three set victory over Paula Sanchez of Spain before going down 21-19 in the third to Lilou Ricard, a result she was later to avenge later that evening in addition to seeing off Maria Dl Mar Carretero (spain) in straight sets.

It was only a two set defeat at the hands of No2 seed Marianna Chang (Portugal) 21-12 21-12 which prevented her from being in contention for the gold medal but it has to be realised that the twins from Lisburn will have a further year at this particular level.

Rebecca, on the other hand, was to suffer defeat at the hands of Camilla Taramelli 21-16 21-18 and Julia De La Torre from the home club 21-16 21-15 - two very creditable performances.

Looking back over the competition and the season in general for the twins, both at Hunterhouse, it has been a remarkably successful season and competitions of this nature and standing abroad will have to be penned into the calendar. Both Trevor and Alison appreciate that they have been able to obtain financial assistance from Sport Lisburn and the Mary Peters Trust.

As members of the Ulster Performance Squads they have been in the U13 and U15 Ulster Squads competing in the UK Team Challenge with Rachael, current winner of the Gold medal in the Leinster, Munster Open Doubles, U13 and U15 Easter Open, is ranked number one at U12, and was a silver winner in the Irish, Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster U13 Open Singles.

Rebecca, ranked number two in Ireland at U12, has taken the Gold in the Leinster and Munster U13 and U15 Opens in doubles and the bronze in the Munster and Connacht Open Singles at this age group.

But there’s more! For sisters Chloe, aged seven, and Paige, aged six, are now showing signs that they are not going to let their big sisters hog all the limelight as the Harmony Hill pupils are already on the podium with Paige winning her first title, an U9 girls doubles with sister Chloe while Chloe has been a treble winner at U9 age group in the Easter Open, the U11 girls doubles in the Alpha Easter Open U11 section and gold, silver in the Connacht U11s, not to mention the Ulster U11s doubles where she finished with a silver.