The achievements of Westgate Badminton Centre’s top juniors have earned the rapidly-growing centre England Performance Training (EPT) accreditation.

EPT is primarily targeted at U15, U17 and U19 England Junior Programme players and other top end emerging players competing at the elite level.

Westgate, based in Winchester, becomes one of only eight EPT centres in the country.

Symbolic of its recent success, Westgate boasts both the current England under-18 number one ranked boy and number one ranked girl in Ross Green and Ira Banerjee.

They are joined on the initial EPT programme by top ranked U17 mixed doubles pair Max Flynn and Libby McMorrow.

All four represent the senior Hampshire first team in the Premiership against the country’s best despite their young age.

They also regularly compete on the European senior and junior circuits.

EPT will be led by former England international player and national coach Graham Hurrell, supported by fellow former England players and coaches Nigel Tier and Kat Gittens.

Hurrell said: “The achievement of this award is testimony to the quality of coaches we have in place here that cannot be matched for strength in depth anywhere else.

“I’m confident that this has played a pivotal role in the development of these players and there is no reason they cannot go on to have very successful careers.”