LEIGH-ON-SEA has a new double World Champion after badminton veteran Roy Lord won two titles in Sweden.

The 66-year-old put in a tremendous performance to win in both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Badminton World Federation World Senior Championships, in Helsingborg.

He took the titles in the over-65 category, winning the mixed crown with Eileen Carley and the men’s doubles competition alongside Robert Bell.

And Lord says he was very pleased with his achievement.

“It was an excellent competition and I am pleased to have won two titles,” he said. “There were over 1,300 competitors from 48 nations so that shows the level of competition.

“I was hopeful of winning as I always am when I compete and I was fortunate that I had two excellent partners to compete with.”

Lord and his respective partners won all nine of their matches, losing only four games in the process. He and Carley, from Yorkshire, were number one seeds in the mixed event, battling back from a set down in the final last Sunday (26th) to win the deciding two 21-13.

However, it only took 23 minutes for the unseeded Lord and Bell, from Cornwall, to beat Indian opposition in the men’s final (21-18 21-8).

“We live at opposite ends of the country but we still get to play a lot and we normally do quite well when we are together. I have been playing with Eileen for three seasons and we were top seeds in this competition so there was that added pressure which can be quite hard to deal with. Fortunately Eileen knew I was a slow starter so kept us in each match until I got my legs working at full speed and then we were unbeatable.”

Lord has been playing the sport for more than 50 years after first picking up a racquet at the age of 13, and he has never looked back, joining Chalkwell Badminton Centre soon after as well as representing Essex at under-18 level.

Now a trustee at the centre, as well as chairman of the Leighway Badminton Club and coordinator of the Essex Veterans, Lord admits he has always been a sports fan, after he stumbled across the sport at school.

“I was at Gable Hall School and we were scheduled to play sports outside only to go outside and find the field looking like a quagmire. So we did badminton indoors instead and I loved it.

“I am generally a competitive person. I love all sports and enjoy the camaraderie of it all. It is a chance to make new friends and that is a wonderful thing.”