Badminton star Tom Wolfenden admits the prospect of missing out on his sport’s oldest competition is a difficult hit to take.

The 24-year-old has recently started new partnerships in the men’s and mixed doubles events, leaving him agonisingly short on the ranking points required to enter next month’s YONEX All England Championships in Birmingham.

But Wolfenden knows that only hard work in his new partnerships will see him return to badminton’s biggest stage.

“Just playing more and more tournaments – more matches – is the key thing for us,” he said.

“We go to Austria followed by France, Poland and Finland. We’re looking to go there, win some matches, get some games under our belts and just keep learning as partnerships and keep building.

“I’ve now started playing mixed doubles with Jenny Moore. I’ve actually not played mixed doubles competitively for about five years or so.

“To get back on the mixed court is great - I do enjoy it. I used to be okay at it as a junior, so it’s nice to be back.

“It’s very early days, but we showed good signs that we can play a good level already, which is very promising. We’re just looking to build from that.

“In men’s doubles I’m now playing with a younger player – Callum Hemming. He’s a very good player and a good learner as well.

“I think we’ve played three tournaments, so again it’s early days, but we’re showing promising signs and trying to find a consistency in our level.”

And while spare time is at a premium for Wolfenden as he works on his new partnerships, sparing a day to go down to the Arena Birmingham and cheer on his teammates, along with over 30,000 home fans, is a must.

The competition sees the world’s best – Olympic and world champions aplenty – battle it out for supremacy in the world’s oldest and most prestigious tournament.

And with a handful of appearances in Birmingham already under his belt, it is a championship that really resonates for the Liverpudlian.

“It means a lot,” he continued.

“It’s the biggest tournament out there on the circuit yearly. The YONEX All England; it is an amazing experience to play there.

“I’ve played there two or three times before and it is amazing in front of the home crowd, so I’m sure our guys will have fun.”

The 2019 YONEX All England – Badminton’s Greatest Show on the sport’s world tour – will wow fans at Arena Birmingham, 6-10 March. For tickets and information: www.allenglandbadminton.com or search All England tickets