Cumbrian Olympic star Lauren Smith returned to her roots to win a county title – with her mum!
The badminton player from Longtown joined forces with mum Nicola Highmore to compete in the Cumbria Restricted tournament for the first time in 13 years.
And they bridged the generation gap to win the women’s doubles title.
It was a memorable occasion for the family duo as Nicola, 50, claimed a record-equalling 30th county title at Penrith’s Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.
Lauren, 31, said: “Mam wanted the record, and a couple of months mentioned it on a whim. Her knees don’t work as well as they used to, so she roped me in…
“I had a tournament originally on that date but out of nowhere it got cancelled – it made me wonder if she had something to do with it…
“So we entered, and it was lovely to be back on court together. We hadn’t played in it since 2009.
“In the first game she was nervous, which I can’t quite believe, so I had to try and calm her down…
“And these are her words – the tactics were that I did the donkey work and she could take the glory shots.
“She’s done enough for me over the years that I owed her a few favours!”
It was a fourth county title for Lauren and Nicola, and the multiple Commonwealth Games medallist said it was a special occasion.
“We are very close. She’s spent so many hours driving me around the country. So it was a chance for me to pay her back a little bit.
“We had a really good time.”
Lauren added that she was delighted to return to Cumbria and the county badminton scene which helped launch her towards an elite career in the sport.
“It was really lovely to go back to my roots,” she said. “I’ve spent so many years now playing in a very serious and “professional” sense that it was great to go back and see all the other players in the Restricted, who are people I’ve known all my life – they’re like extended family.
“To go back and see them all, and play in that environment again, reignited the fun of badminton for me. It doesn’t always have to be so serious and intense.
“You should remember you play for the love of the sport.
“I’ve always said I’m a very proud Cumbrian, and I was very proud to take part in it, and also see some of the promising young players coming up.”
Will the Great Britain and England star return next year to help her mum claim the record outright?
“I imagine I might be roped in again!” she said. “If I can, I’ll gladly come back and play.
“I’m incredibly proud of mam, what she’s achieved. She’s such a determined and competitive person and it’s fair to say I’ve got that from her.”
Smith, meanwhile, is preparing for a return to international action some two months after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, when she came home with two silver medals.
“It’s about to get quite busy,” she said. “Next week I’m off to Holland for the Dutch Open, and from there, straight to Denmark, then France and then Germany.
“That’s four weeks in a row, a bit of a European tour, with varying levels of tournaments.
“With Marcus [Ellis, her on and off-court partner] having had a hip operation after the Commonwealth Games, I’ll just be playing women’s doubles, which will be a slightly different experience for me but hopefully a good one.
“Me and Chloe [Birch] haven’t played loads together in the last eight months, but hopefully there will be the opportunity to do something in some of these tournaments.
“It feels like a long time since the Commonwealths and I’m looking forward to getting back again, and hungry to be competing.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here