BADMINTON prodigy Chad Warren has become the first player from Herefordshire to win a medal at the under-11 National Championships.

Going up against the top 40 players in the country, Chad, from Ledbury, brought home the bronze in the doubles after being knocked out in the quarter-finals of the singles by the number two seed.

His performance in the championships came off the back of a hugely successful season, in which Chad reached 15 National Circuit finals.

That record qualified him for spots in both the singles tournament and the doubles, which he competed in with Charlie Castle from Buckinghamshire.

He was the first player from Herefordshire to compete at the championships at under-11 level, and fought his way through the group stages in the singles to reach the quarter finals.

Chad was supported at the event by his coaches from Herefordshire Badminton Academy and the University of Worcester Performance Centre.

And he said that he hopes that with hard work he will bring gold back to the county in coming years.

Chad is also supported by Halo Elite and Ready Steady Win programmes which assist young athletes from Herefordshire with services like free access to gym facilities.