BOURNEMOUTH badminton star Nicola Cerfontyne will begin her bid to regain the women’s national singles title later this month.

The 26-year-old was crowned champion in 2011 after defying the rankings to reach the top.

The 2015 tournament is due to take place at K2 Crawley between January 30 and February 1 and Cerfontyne will be among the lead contenders following the withdrawal of reigning champion Sarah Walker through injury.

Among the other players due to compete are Commonwealth star Gabby Adcock and former world champion Gail Emms.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: “The English National Badminton Championships are all about celebrating everything that is great about English badminton.

“They offer a great value for families who want to see Glasgow 2014 stars live in action.”

Tickets start from £8 for adults and from £2 for children and are available at www.badmintonengland.co.uk /nationals.