THE BOLTON Badminton League's new season gets underway tonight -- minus one of its most successful clubs but with a brand-new match venue.

Leigh Badminton Club, whose A team have been League Champions for the past couple of seasons, has had to close. This is due to a combination of injuries and loss of their Borsdane Brook High School, Hindley, venue, but the name will live on this season in a limited fashion.

Some of its players have joined Marklnd Hill to form a new team Markland Hill Leigh. They will take over Leigh A team's fixtures now on Wednesday nights, but Leigh B's will become open weeks. The rest of Markland Hill's team fixtures remain the same.

Ironically, this new team plays Markland Hill A tomorrow night in their opening fixture of the season.

Closest contenders Christ Church, meanwhile, open their account on Thursday away against Hawkshaw A.

It's first time in the top Section for Racquets and Chowbent B, both with tough opening matches. The former is away tomorrow night against ABC and the latter at home on Friday to Bury A.

Racquets and Farnworth start the season in their new home -- the plush new David Lloyd Leisure Centre in Chorley Street -- which now also boasts its own team of that name in E Section.

In B Section, the two teams which were promoted last season -- Sharples A and Farnworth A -- face each other in their opening match, at Sharples.

And D Section champions Chowbent D have what promises to be a tight first C Section fixture, against the experienced side of demoted GMT A. Sharples B, also promoted, face Chowbent C at home.

E Section champions GMT B should have a testing opening match at home against Farnworth B, with new-in Springfields D playing Westhoughton C.

The two teams up from F Section last season Farnworth C (which now becomes David Lloyd LC) and BASS B meet each other, at the new venue.

In F Section, Forrest E -- which missed out on promotion last year by a single point -- can conserve their energy with an open week first off, but they kick off their promotion campaign next week playing fellow club members Forrest F.

The most noticeable change for players this year is the alteration of the score card, which follows the lines of neighbouring leagues like Whitefield.

Match reports, or match card photocopies, can be sent for publication in the BEN by Wednesday latest to: Angela Kelly, Features Dept, Bolton Evening News, Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1DE, tel 01204-361262, or you can send e-mails to akelly@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk