Heather Olver and Dean George are going for glory in the badminton competition at the Commonwealth Youth Games

They are in a six-strong England team as badminton makes its Youth Games debut.

They are expected to team up with regular partners Jenny Wallwork and Andy Ellis, both from Leeds, in the girls and boys' doubles and may team up in mixed doubles.

Sussex players Jo Goode and Simon Archer won Great Britain's first Olympic badminton medal in Sydney four years ago.

Olver said: "We were both amazed with what Jo and Simon did and knowing we come from the same county gives us an extra edge in Bendigo. We would love to achieve our own success in the country where they won Olympic bronze."

George, 17, a Portslade Community College pupil, has respresented England juniors regularly for three years and he and Ellis are reigning national under-17s champions.

He said: "I've done okay. But Bendigo is my biggest test because I will be up against opponents from beyond Europe."

Jordan Turner-Hall views playing in the Commonwealth Youth Games as a stepping stone to a professional career in rugby.

He will play for England, who have been drawn in pool one against Cook Island, Samoa and Fiji. Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Singapore are in the other pool.

Turner-Hall hopes to play for Harlequins under-21s in January after his 17th birthday.

The England under-16s centre, from Brighton, said: "The Games will be the biggest thing I've done in rugby but I am hopeful I can cope and that it will be a positive for my rugby development."

There would be no better stage for Helen Towersey to achieve ten-pin bowling perfection than in Australia.

The reigning European Junior Champion will need to pull out all the stops if she is to return to West Sussex with the three gold medals she craves.

The 18-year-old from Maidenbower has come agonisingly close to scoring a perfect 300 before only to miss by a whisker.

Mum Caroline said: "It is her goal to score 300 and it would be amazing if she did it in the Commonwealth Youth Games. She has scored 299 before and had quite a few 296s but never 300."