Bargh bags bronze at world champs

Cathy Bargh won a bronze medal at the World Senior Badminton Championships in Turkey

The Sedlescombe-based talent reached the semi-finals of the over-50 women’s singles to claim her first medal in the prestigious global event following quarter-final defeats in 2009 and 2011.

Bargh, one of the two 3/4 seeds, began what was a truly international event featuring players from a whole host of countries with a comprehensive 21-3, 21-2 victory over Indian competitor Rama Singh in round one on Monday.

Her second round match on Wednesday was a much tougher affair and Bargh had to come from behind to see off South African player Venessa Van Der Walt 12-21, 21-15, 21-15.

The quarter-final on Thursday was another tough battle, but Bargh eventually edged out Thai talent Juthatip Apiwatthanawong, one of the four 5/8 seeds, 21-19, 21-19.

But her progress in an event which went with the seedings was halted by a 19-21, 16-21 reverse against old rival Lone Knudsen, from Denmark, on Friday. Second seed Knudsen went on to beat top seeded Dutch player Jeannette Van Der Werff 21-16, 21-17 in Saturday’s final.

Bargh, a professional badminton coach at Freedom Leisure Summerfields in Hastings, also took part in the over-45 women’s doubles alongside Cheshire-based partner Kay Vickers.

They eased through their first round clash against Indian pair Vijaya Ahluwalia and Monica Bhonwal 21-7, 21-5 on Tuesday only to be beaten 21-13, 13-21, 15-21 by the German twosome of Silke Schneider and Kerstin Wenk in round two the following day.

Schneider and Wenk went on to lose in three games to the top seeded Chinese Taipei combination of Mei-Yin Feng and Chia Yi Kang in the quarter-finals.