Badminton: Vaughan edges through

Richard Vaughan, Britain's top men's singles player, knocked out Denmark's Niels Christian Kaldau in the opening round of the Yonex All England Championships yesterday at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

But he and England No 1 Colin Haughton were the only two from seven home starters to make the second round.

The Caerphilly-based player was made to fight all the way before getting the better of Kaldau. He took 73 minutes – the longest match of the round – before edging out his old friend 6-8, 8-6, 7-5, 7-8, 7-5 to earn a tie with Chetan Anand after the Indian came back from two games down to beat Nabil Lasmari of France.

The hopes of Wales' Indonesian import, Irwansyah, going through to the second round were wrecked by his countryman Soni Dwi Kuncoro, who beat him 8-6, 5-7, 7-4, 4-7, 7-5 in 61 minutes. But Haughton showed no ill effects from the back trouble which forced him out of last month's national final with a 7-3, 7-0, 7-4 win over Sydney Lengagne in just 24 minutes.

Four England players went through the exit door in the first four hours of the tournament. Hampshire's Mark Burgess was beaten by the defending champion Pullela Gopichand of India 7-3, 7-0, 7-4 in 30 minutes.

And following in quick succession were Andrew South, the national champion Mark Constable and Matthew Shuker. South lost to the Dane Jonas Lyduch, 7-3, 3-7, 1-7, 7-5, 7-2, Constable fell to the Chinese qualifier Luo Yigang, 7-4, 7-0, 7-4 and Shuker was beaten by Japan's Keita Masuda, 7-1, 7-5, 7-3.