HELEN JAMES captained the Blues to victory when Holmfirth Badminton Club held their third Junior Christmas Tournament at Honley High.

Part subsidised by Badminton England when it was initiated, organiser Zainal Muhammad was delighted to welcome more new members in an encouraging turn-out for the event.

The tournament was on a team format, Reds v Blues, and was played in a round robin to nine points.

Players were aged between 11 and 16 and a handicap system was applied to cater for differing ages and abilities.

James led the Blues to the Silver Salver Trophy with 366 points, 44 ahead of the Reds.

Prizes were given by Holmfirth club secretary Janet Winn, with the Blues receiving gold medals and the Reds silver ones.

Bonus awards for Skills Achievement were split into two categories – for the player with most points and also for the last person standing in a ‘Round The World’ challenge.

Daniel Benison was unbeaten in the event and won the most points category, but he narrowly missed the double in the second challenge, pipped by Michael Bleasdale.

They were both awarded vouchers for free private coaching with the club’s coach.

Holmfirth are already preparing for their coaching programme, starting on January 14, and they also plan to run another tournament later in the year.

For further details contact the club secretary.