Badminton tournaments in Taunton

The orbital tournament starts at 9am at Wellsprings Leisure Centre

Dozens of badminton players will be gathering to take part in the first of three national tournaments being held in Taunton.

The orbital tournaments are extremely popular as they allow amateurs the chance to test their skills with players of a similar level.

Play starts at 9am and matches will run continuously all day and into the evening.

This year has a strong turnout from Somerset and the region as a whole.

Mike Sertin, chair of Badminton England, said: "The orbital tournaments are extremely popular nationally for players to play in because they know if they are going to play in these events and not get hammered by some of the top elite players."

The tournaments are ranked in order of skill, beginning with orbital, moving upwards to satellite, challenger and finally elite level, for players of a national standard.

This year, up to 30 players make up the Somerset team, and there has also been a strong turnout from people across the region.

The tournament starts at 9am at the Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton and spectators are welcome to attend at any time during the event.

The Under 13 Tournament will be held at Wellington School on Sunday, 10 January, 2010 and the Under 17 Bronze Tournament will be held on Saturday, 13 February, 2010.