Ace Lydia nets England call-up

The 17-year-old will be playing one or two age groups up over the course of the three- day event, which begins on Wednesday February 27.

Powell will be playing in the town of Haarlem - a short distance from capital city Amsterdam - in the Dutch Junior International. Though an individually selected tournament, the youngster will play singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

“It’s quite a prestigious invitation,” Powell said. “There will be about eight of us under-17 players, so to be one of those picked is an honour.”

The Dutch Junior International will be Powell’s maiden appearance for her country, but she has big plans to make sure it won’t be her last.

“Badminton England have never had anyone go straight from A-Levels to full-time training,” continued Powell. “I want to be the first. The college have been supportive of my decision and recognise that badminton is hugely important to me. They’ve made it easy.”

See tomorrow’s Hastings Observer for the full article.