JERSEY’S Mariana Agathangelou came home from the English National U17 badminton championships with a silver medal from the singles and two bronze medals from the doubles – and the remains of a bug that she picked up before the championships.

Her achievements are all the more notable as she is still 15 years old and regularly plays in the U17 age-group, which pits her against older and, on paper at least, stronger and more experienced players, writes Isobel Osmont.Her father John explained that although open to all U17 players, because of the possible number of players involved the competition was limited to the top players from England.Mariana won through to the singles semi-finals after beating Frankie Elderman 9-11, 11-6, 11-7; England players Kirsten Read, Nikoleta Cholkalova and Laura Cousins, all in straight sets, then faced Becky Fairhurst, the favourite after she beat No 1 seed Jenny Wallwork.It was a very tough match but Mariana’s strength and determination meant she emerged victorious, 10-13, 11-9, 11-6 to go through to the final for a battle against old rival Michelle Cheung, which she lost 11-4, 111-3.’She was tired after that semi-final and was feeling the effects of the bug, which hadn’t quite gone,’ her father said.

‘She and Vicky Ingram paired up for the doubles and, in the semis, met Gabby White and Naomi Tarry.

They knew it would be a tough match, and so it was.

They lost 15-12, 15-10, but were pleased to get the bronze medal.’In the mixed, Mariana and her partner, Handle Suryaputra, coasted through the preliminary round then met the U17 pair of Palford and Goodall.This was another tough game but the pairs were evenly-matched in the first, which went Mariana’s way 15-8.

The older pair levelled the score in the second, winning 15-10, then, at 14-8 down in the third, Mariana and Handle picked themselves up and came back to win 17-14 to take the bronze medal.’She played very well,’ Agathangelou said.

‘If she was training in the UK with some of the players she beat in this event, she would be expected to train for around 20 -22 hours a week, as they do.

She is at a disadvantage being in Jersey, but once her GCSEs are finished the plan is for her to move to the UK to train with the England coach Pete Bush, in Bath.’Meanwhile her next major goal is to be selected to play in the Six Nations competition at the end of April – and her performances at the weekend put her in with a very good chance of selection – where she will meet the cream of badminton talent from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Holland and France.