THE Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge came to a thrilling finale on Tuesday at Bells Sports Centre, Perth, as reigning champions Battlefield Primary (Glasgow) retained the title they won last year.

The national final was the climax of a number of regional heats all over Scotland in which over 1,400 children have taken part. A total of 10 schools qualified for the finals through these heats, coming together at Bells to represent their region and battle it out to be national champions.

And after some fantastic badminton, Battlefield once again emerged victorious to retain their title and take the trophy back to Glasgow for the second year running. Donibristle Primary ( Dalgety Bay, representing Fife) were narrowly pipped into second place to take the silver medals.

The Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge has been a highly successful venture devised by BADMINTONscotland's Development Manager Russell Hogg. Its success has been made possible by generous financial backing from Bank of Scotland, as well as support from the Sports Development department of Perth and Kinross Council.

The concept involves a series of fun games loosely based around some of the techniques used in badminton. It introduces the basics of badminton to children whilst keeping the emphasis very much on having fun.

Russell Hogg, BADMINTONscotland's Development Manager said "The level of interest the Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge has generated across the country has been amazing. We've seen some fantastic badminton played all over Scotland and the final today was a fitting end to a great competition. The Challenge has been very successful and Iím confident it will continue to grow next year and beyond."

Karen Tighe, Deputy Head of Sponsorship for Bank of Scotland, said "We are delighted the Bank of Scotland Primary Sportshall Challenge has been so well received.  The Challenge plays a vital role in Bank of Scotlandís aim of getting school children involved in sport and developing their interest in Badminton.  We would like to congratulate Battlefield Primary on their success of two wins in a row!"

A full list of schools competing in the finals is shown below.

St Markís Primary (Hamilton, representing South Lanarkshire)
St Gartsherrie Primary (Coatbridge, representing North Lanarkshire)
Battlefield Primary (Glasgow)
Applegrove Primary (Forres, representing Moray)
West End Primary (Elgin, representing Moray)
Greenmill Primary (Cumnock, representing East Ayrshire)
Ballater Primary (Ballater, representing Aberdeenshire)
Finzean Primary (Banchory, representing Aberdeenshire)
Strathkiness Primary (St Andrews, representing Fife)
Donibristle Primary (Dalgety Bay, representing Fife)

For further information, contact BADMINTONscotland on 0141 445 1218 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it