Geography teacher David Foster is looking to put schools badminton on the map in York.

Foster is backed by an impressive CV - he is a former England squad member, plays for Yorkshire, who currently lead the county championship by 17 points, and is a Yorkshire and England junior coach.

Currently ranked tenth in the country for the men's doubles and 11th for mixed doubles, Foster runs badminton coaching sessions at his school, Canon Lee, every Tuesday.

On Thursdays he also runs a badminton clubs for other school pupils at York RI in Queen Street where rackets and shuttles are provided alongside the 90 minute coaching sessions.

Foster is now looking to develop the sport in the area further and has plans to stage a tournament for York schools.

Any school interested in the tournament or those wanting to find out more about coaching sessions can contact Foster at Canon Lee on 01904 560000, where his tips from the top are already reaping rewards.

The school's boys under-16 squad of Shane Benton, Ricky Hunter, Ryan Heys and Simon Nicholson reached the semi-final of the Yorkshire Schools competition before losing narrowly to Wakefield's Horbury School 5-4.

Updated: 12:27 Wednesday, January 24, 2001