Badminton: Robert Blair bows out in Birmingham

Edinburgh-born badminton player Robert Blair saw his great run in the Yonex All England Open come to an end when he lost at the last-16 stage of the men’s doubles in Birmingham.

The 31-year-old former World Championship silver medallist was partnered by Malaysia’s Bin Shen Tan and they made a great start against Japan’s Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Havakawa, surging 13-8 ahead and taking the opening game 21-7. But the Asian pair hit back to take the second game 21-13 and, from 8-all in the third, ran away to win the decider 21-14

Blair was not only the last Scot but also the last Briton in the Championships as they moved into today’s televised quarter-final stage. It underlined the disappointing post-Olympic state of the sport at GB level.