Surrey Smashers to Kick Off Badminton Season with Lightning Showdown

Published on: 23 Aug, 2016
Updated on: 23 Aug, 2016

Bronze medallist Chris Langridge and Gabby Adcock

By Will Parsons

“Surrey Smashers”, the Surrey Sports Park-based badminton team, will be kicking off their 2016/17 AJ Bell National Badminton League (NBL) on October 17, when they host the newly-branded “Loughborough Lightning” at Surrey Sports Park.

A trip to NBL debutants “Suffolk Saxons” follows on November 7, before Smashers welcome University of Nottingham Sport to Guildford on November 28 for the final round of matches before Christmas.

“Team Derby”, the 2014/15 champions, will visit the Sports Park on January 9, followed by a trip to challenge reigning champions the “Birmingham Lions” on January 23.

The Smashers’ NBL season will conclude with a showdown against “Bristol Jets” on February 6 – another new franchise to join the NBL, a league which was established in 2014.

Three players have already committed their futures to the Surrey Smashers team ahead of the start of the season, with more set to follow in the coming weeks.

Gabby Adcock and Chris Langridge, who competed for Team GB at the Rio Olympics, will return to the team for the 2016/17 season.

The Smashers skipper, Leatherhead-born Langridge, will begin his third season with Smashers this October. He produced a string of incredible performances to reach the bronze medal match in Brazil, with partner Marcus Ellis, in the men’s doubles, including wins against world top 10 ranked players. It was GB’s first Olympic badminton medal in 12 years.

World top 25 women’s singles specialist Line Kjaersfeldt, who is representing Denmark at the Games, confirmed her signing in July and will make her home debut in October.