 Middlesex's Rajiv Ouseph strolled to a men's singles win (Library Image) |
England advanced to the quarter-finals of badminton's European Team Championship in Liverpool with a comfortable 4-1 win over Scotland. Edinburgh-born Robert Blair took the first rubber for his adopted country with a win in the mixed doubles. He and partner Gabrielle White saw off Watson Briggs and Imogen Bankier 22-20 21-11 in a closely fought match. Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark secured their men's doubles match and the tie with a 21-13 22-24 21-7 win. Rajiv Ouseph chalked up a 21-13 21-18 men's singles victory with some incisive play against 19-year-old Kieran Merrilees. Susan Hughes averted a whitewash for Scotland, striking back with a singles win over Elizabeth Cann that briefly breathed life into the contest. England will now face Ukraine in the last eight on Friday as they look to go one better than their runners-up spot last year, while Scotland head home.  | 606: DEBATE |
The tournament brings Great Britain's stars together on home soil at the start of the 2012 Olympic cycle. The teams are divided into eight groups of four, with the nation topping each group making up the eight quarter-finalists. Should England oust the Ukraine they would compete for a place in Sunday's final with Poland or the Netherlands.
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