Brilliant Bargh bags world medal double

Cathy Bargh with her pair of medals at the World Seniors Badminton Championships in Sweden

Sedlescombe-based Bargh, a professional badminton coach at Summerfields Leisure Centre in Hastings, won silver in the over-50 women’s doubles and bronze in the over-50 women’s singles.

It means Bargh has claimed four major international medals in successive years having picked up singles and doubles silver at the 2014 European Senior Championships.

Bargh said: “I’m a committed sports woman that’s got her rewards by simple hard work and dedication, and pure enjoyment of this breathtaking game.”

Twenty-nine pairs featuring players from 16 countries contested the doubles in Helsingborg. As one of the 3/4 seeds, Bargh and partner Kay Vickers had a bye in round one before overcoming Danish duo Bettina Kristensen and Helle Sjorring 21-17, 21-16 in round two.

Bargh and Vickers got the better of German pair Hildegard O’Neill and Cornelia Winkler 21-8, 21-19 in the quarter-finals.

They then pulled off a tremendous 21-14, 13-21, 22-20 victory over Danish top seeds Helle Buch and Lone Knudsen in the semi-finals. It was a terrific, tactical game, and Vickers was totally controlled and measured.

That set up a final against another Danish pair, Charlotte Dew-Hattens and Grete Sahlertz Kragekjaer, on Saturday. Although unseeded, the Danish pair are ex-professionals and cruised through all of the previous rounds in straight sets.

They continued that record with a 21-13, 21-14 victory over Bargh and Vickers, who did at least have the consolation of taking more points off the Danes than any other partnership in the tournament.

There were 34 players in the singles, again representing 16 countries. Bargh, again one of the 3/4 seeds, made it to the semi-finals with a hat-trick of straight sets wins.

After a first round bye, Bargh saw off Asa Bjorkman (Sweden) 21-10, 21-13 in round two before getting the better of Manuela Ritter (Germany) 21-11, 21-8 in round three.

Bargh was pushed a little harder in her quarter-final against Lisbeth Koch Rasmussen (Denmark) before pulling clear to win 21-19, 21-9.

She faced old adversary and number one seed Knudsen in the semi-finals, but this time lost out 15-21, 18-21.

Bargh also won a singles bronze medal at the 2013 World Senior Championships after again reaching the semi-finals, and made it to the singles quarter-finals in 2009 and 2011.

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