British mixed doubles pairs crash out in quarter-finals

Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork were angered by the umpire's calls

British pair Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork crashed out of the All England Championships in a fractious mixed doubles quarter-final on Friday.

The duo were beaten 21-18 21-19 by two-time ex-world champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia.

The umpire needed to address the players on several occasions, with the crowd and Robertson incensed at a call early on that went against the Britons.

Anthony Clark and Heather Olver were also knocked out in the quarter-finals.

They were edged out 21-19 21-17 by South Korea's Olympic champions Lee Yong-Dae and Lee Hyo-Jung.

606: DEBATE

Give your reaction to Britain's exits

Clark and Olver's display was blighted by errors as they frequently failed to clear the net in the second game.

However, there was some consolation for the pair as they learned they had received a wildcard to compete in next month's European Championships in Manchester.

Crucial umpire decisions contributed to the defeat for Robertson and Wallwork.

Trailing 18-16 in the first game, the pair were denied a crucial point when a shot from the Indonesians was called in after clearly landing out.

The crowd were incensed as the big screen at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena showed the shuttlecock falling several inches over the baseline.

Robertson complained vociferously but the umpire, in one of several occasions when she needed to address the players, backed up her line judge.

The 32-year-old, Olympic silver medallist in 2004, said: "There were a couple of bad calls but there was one each in the end.

Clark and Olver were playing in their second major tournament together

"Sometimes it is hard to see how they get them so wrong, but they evened themselves out, as they usually do.

"We played well again but they are a quality pair.

"It was only a few points here and there but we're disappointed with the last point, because we had a chance there."

In a dramatic encounter in the women's singles, Denmark's Tine Rasmussen rescued three match points to beat Chinese world champion Lu Lan 16-21 23-21 21-11 and clinch her place in the last four.

She will contest a place in the final with either India's Saina Nehwal or unseeded German Juliane Schenk.