A MAUCHLINE teenager sent shockwaves through the badminton circuit after reaching the Scottish National Championships’ singles final last month – setting up a dream clash with world number 19 Kirsty Gilmour.

Holly Newall may only be 15-years-old but she insists an appearance at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in July is not out of the question after a dazzling season on the senior stage.

Gilmour may have prevailed in straight games on the day but it has done little to knock Newall’s confidence, admitting she’s grabbed a lot of attention after punching so far above her weight.

And the budding badminton star, who recently represented her country at the European Under-17 Team Championships in Turkey, believes she has a chance of making the grade for Scotland’s Commonwealths squad.

“I could get to the Commonwealths if I keep winning competitions and getting into finals, I could potentially go as medal support to help them,” she said.

“I can’t believe I played so well to get to the national final, it was a great experience to play against such a great player.

“It was tough but it got filmed and it’s all over YouTube now. People have been following me on Twitter purely because of the match – it feels good to be a bit of a celebrity.

She added: “I’m only 15 but I’m competing against, 19 and 20-year-olds and hopefully I’m not at my best age yet.” Newall received another boost by claiming a spot in the SSE Next Generation ambassadors programme, which provides workshops, mentoring and support for some of the United Kingdom’s brightest sporting prospects.

She rubbed shoulders with six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy at one of the scheme’s events earlier this month – and has just as much ambition to reach the pinnacle herself.

“I didn’t know how much the programme would help me, but it’s a fantastic set-up and I’d like to keep being part of it, such as the anti-doping workshop,” she added. “I’ve learnt a lot from that.

“I met Sir Chris and got a quick picture with him, he’s a great person and because he’s from Scotland as well which made it even better.” SSE are partnering with SportsAid to support the sporting stars of the future as part of their commitment to Glasgow 2014 and beyond with their SSE Next Generation ambassador programme. Keep up to date with the latest @YourSSE