THE first badminton tournament of its kind was held at the Thompson Leisure Centre in Burnley.

There are now plans to hold the tournament annually and a league is being planned after interest from members of the local community. An inter borough competition may also take place later this year.

Tournament organizer Khalid Aziz was hoping more people would take part in the future.

He said, "The response was overwhelming and the article published in Asian Image created a lot of interest. I would have liked more people to turn up on the day though but it was still a great success."

The singles competition saw some great play by Yasin Nazir. Khalid Rashid, despite nursing a leg injury throughout the tournament managed to reach the final. However, he was unable to go all the way.

There were also good performances from Rauf, Khalid, Amjad and Rafaqat.

Yasin also featured in the final of the doubles competition. Partnered by Karen they defeated Khalid and Barbara in straight sets.

Approximately 15 people took part. The tournament was organised by PPWA, Nelson.

The organisation is looking to spend a grant from Sport England which aims to increase the participation level of young and older people alike, as well as women.

If there are any organisations or individuals interested in organising any kind of sporting activities, such as cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey or need information about the future activities, they should get in touch with Khalid Aziz on 01282 603616.