Dannevirke veteran Lorraine Warrington loves her sport

Lorraine Warrington with badminton partner Glenn Hirst at the Dunedin Masters this year.

Put a badminton racquet in Lorraine Warrington's hand and she is in her element. Badminton has been a large part of her sporting life since starting as a youngster and it continues to be as she competes in regional and Masters Badminton throughout New Zealand.

In February this year she collected her regular haul of medals at the Masters Games in Dunedin, gaining bronzes in the 55-year+ ladies doubles and 45-year + team's event and a silver in the ladies doubles 50-year + event. An injury meant she could not compete in the singles.

Lorraine Warrington with many of the medals won in badminton since 2013.

Her regular mixed doubles partner Glenn Hirst, in his first Masters Games, collected bronze in the team's event and gold in the men's doubles with another local David Wasley.

Lorraine started in Dannevirke around age 8, playing with family and soon got into the competitive leagues playing for the Dannevirke Club and being selected in Hawke's Bay Juniors then Colts (now called Division) before stopping to have family.

In 2003 with daughter Danielle playing badminton, Lorraine resumed and began competing in Masters competitions qualifying for the Hawkes Bay No 2 team, which went on a North Island tour, and then the No 1 team which initially played and won its second division competition before being elevated to first division.

In the last four years Lorraine has competed in regional competitions for Oroua while still playing for the Dannevirke club, finding it easier to compete and practice in Feilding during the weekends than in Hawke's Bay weekdays.

The team visits venues throughout New Zealand and two weeks ago they beat Wellington North, lost to Wellington and beat Manawatu.

Competing in the NZ Masters Games has become a regular occurrence for Lorraine since 2013.

Held in odd years at Whanganui and in even years in Dunedin, Lorraine has collected medals most years, silvers in the singles in 2015 and 2017 and silver and bronze in the women's and mixed doubles in 2018.

It is an exhausting tournament over five days with up to seven games per day playing doubles, mixed doubles, singles and team's events. Last year she played in Palmerston North the day before the Whanganui Masters, then played five days in the tournament and returned to Palmerston North to play its competition Thursday again making it 38 games in seven days.

In August Lorraine helped Dannevirke win the Packer Trophy (which Dannevirke hosted) winning for the first time.

With husband Eddie a top bowler the Warrington week is full of sport and looking into the future Lorraine is eyeing up the World Masters in Japan. Watch this space.