Badminton: Robert Blair wins German title with White

Scotland's Robert Blair and England's Gabby White claimed a first title as a mixed doubles pair when they scored a terrific victory at the Yonex German Open Grand Prix yesterday.

The Britons, ranked No 55 in the world, just teamed up in January but they proved they could contend for an Olympic place next year with a battling 16-21, 21-16, 21-5 final win over Japan's Ikeda Shintaro and Shiota Reiko.

In the semi-finals, Blair and White, the No 6 seeds, scored a significant 21-17, 21-17 win over Scot Imogen Bankier and her English partner, Chris Adcock, who are ranked 43 in the world and are the Bank of Scotland Scottish International Champions. The two new Scottish/ English pairings are rivals for a place in next year's Olympic team for London.

This week, both pairs will be competing at the Yonex All-England Open in Birmingham.