Talent badminton duo Maya and Priya Mistry have served some of the best shots in their sporting careers, and they’ve no plans to stop yet.

Hailing from a family skilled in badminton, Maya and Priya began playing when they were just young children.

Maya’s father, and Priya’s uncle, taught them how to smash the shuttle at around 5-years-old, which ultimately unfolded into a love for the game.

The pair intended to keep it recreational but found a real talent for the sport and began to miss it during the pandemic.

“As soon as centres began to open again, I was back out playing badminton and playing with adults, it was amazing to meet loads of new people.

“Then, staff at college knew we played badminton, so we decided to take part in a competition,” Priya said.

Both Ashton Sixth Form students, Priya and Maya represented the Northwest at the AOC Championships.

The championships celebrate competitive sport in colleges, providing the unique opportunities for students to compete in a range of sports.

“The event had teams from the whole of England, so there were many different regions there.

“It’s great to make friends from different areas, the girls we played with were all so nice.

“We finished seventh overall too, it was a really good opportunity,” Maya said.

Talented, committed, and gifted, Maya and Priya have a clear passion for sport.

Both girls train every week, having made a great number of friends through the game.

Further conversation with Maya reveals that badminton is not actually her main sport, as the superstar student also juggles football alongside it.

“I train once a week for badminton, as I also play football and train heavily for that.

“I love doing exercise, I think playing football assists my badminton, it keeps me healthy.

“I plan on playing football for as long as I can, then when I go to university, I hope to join a badminton team,” she said.

The university dream is something both cousins share, especially as they approach the end of their college life.

“If I don’t fancy going for a run or doing something intense, I always have badminton and it keeps me healthy.

“I’m going to university in October, and I hope to carry on playing badminton and join some sport societies,” Priya said.

The girls have created a great network of badminton players around them, all sharing their love for this fantastic sport.

“Every week we would go and play with friends from college, at one point there was 20, 30 people playing badminton for an hour.

“It was brilliant because it was just an afternoon to go and play sport with your friends and have fun, it brought so many of us together,” Priya explained.

Maya added, “Most of my friends play now, but other than my friends I still don’t know a lot of girls that play.

“It’s definitely getting better, because lots of people love women’s football now, there’s been big advancements in women’s badminton too.”

A sport requiring quick wit and sharp thinking, badminton is a game loved by many but only perfected by a few.

“You’ve got to stay sharp, your reaction times have to be spot on.

“I love to play doubles, it’s really fun and you always end up having a laugh.

“Badminton is a sport I don’t ever see myself giving up, even if I don’t play competitively, I’ll always enjoy it,” Priya said.

Maya echoes the last thought. Both girls say they would encourage more people to get involved in a sport.

“It’s so important, not only for exercise but for the social benefit too,” she said.

Priya added, “Sport helps you to become determined and persevere more. If it’s a loss, you still learn from it and you grow, you become a better player and person.”

Now, the pair will begin to look towards exam season, as they knuckle down and secure their clearly successful futures.

Sport has the power to bring people together, and for a family like Maya’s and Priya’s, this is clearly the case.

Want more local sports stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.