GHANA's badminton supporters were a bit thin on the ground at the Bolton Arena.

But, for George Laing in the stands, every good shot was a cause for pride.

George, from Over Hulton, was born in Ghana but came to England over 40 years ago to study engineering at Bolton Technical College.

He never went back. He settled here with his family, started playing badminton and became a coach.

As his youngsters at Lostock Leisure Centre will verify, he's a good coach, and a nice man.

In fact, when his mother died and he went back to Ghana five years ago to visit, he decided to help boost the sport in his native country.

He took old nets, he brushed dusty floors there for courts and helped local players around Accra with their game and its development.

Since then, he has regularly sent over tubes of the costly feather shuttles that badminton-loving Ghanaians could not afford.

The sport has flourished there. It is not yet up to the standards of the top Commonwealth countries like England or Wales -- whose players the Ghana team faced first in the team event -- but it is growing.

"And George has been a great help," stated the Ghana team coach Mr Frank Shamo.

"We are getting better at badminton all the time," he explained, resplendent in the team white track suit with red and green flashes.

"We are going to ask the ambassadors of other countries to help us with funding so we can develop it. And we are glad to be here in Bolton at the Games -- it is a wonderful occasion."

Modest George dismisses his help as "just something I wanted to do." But he is delighted to see how that help is being put to use.

Ghana is not a well-known badminton country but, like Botswana and Barbados, its players were thrilled to be at the £15 million Arena and playing in front of the crowds.

The queues, surprisingly, started early, swelling in number towards lunchtime on the first day as England were on court against Nigeria.

The huge central hall of the Arena was almost unrecognisable to local sports fans. With the central gantry walkway dismantled, four badminton courts run right across the middle of the hall, flanked by high banks of spectator seating.

Flags of the Commonwealth nations adorn the walls, and the increasingly familiar purple and white outfits of the Games' volunteers everywhere contrast with the green and yellow of the linesmen and women and the dark green jackets of the officials.

The majority of spectators may well be English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish, but there is a strong New Zealand contingent.

For this is the Friendly Games. And from the first shuttle struck in this international badminton competition -- by Bruce Topping of Northern Ireland against Nicholas Jumaye of the Seychelle Islands -- it was obvious that this applied both on court and off.

Only fellow team members were there to support Jumaye in his athletic, but generally vain, attempts to defeat the rangy Irishman.

So, the Northern Ireland fans decided to support him as well.

Topping won 7-1, 7-2, 7-5 but they applauded the Seychellian as loudly as their own man.

Jumaye responded with a smile and a wave. Both players thanked the umpire and court officials. Jumaye added to this by shaking the hand of each linesman and woman, to their slight bemusement.

Nicole Gordon of New Zealand dwarfed her tiny Mauritian opponent Amrita Sawaram. At half speed, Gordon defeated her 7-2, 7-2, 7-1.

Matthew Hughes -- sporting a red Mohican hairstyle and with fiery play to match -- won the crowd's appreciation with Martyn Lewis in their lively men's doubles' opener against Ghana.

Welsh singles' player Kelly Morgan's No.1 ranking proved in no danger, either. Theresa Tetteh looked overwhelmed at being on court with her, so Kelly just seemed to just give her a game.

England are medal favourites, in spite of the tough draw with Malaysia, and should pull in the home crowds.

There will be plenty to entertain them. At the Bolton Arena. The atmosphere is terrific, the set-up impressive, and the badminton stunning.

As Eugene McKenna, from Belfast and a player in the Northern Ireland team put it:"It's just brilliant here!

"Sure, you people in Manchester and Bolton have really done us proud."