Wimbledon’s Toby Penty felt he was lacking self-belief at the English National Badminton Championships last week – but is convinced he is not far away from the big guns.

The 19-year-old fourth seed eased his way into the semi-finals at Bolton Arena but, against England number two Carl Baxter, he met his match, going down 21-6, 21-14.

In patches in the second set he demonstrated why he is highly rated in Badminton England circles and, although defeat to Baxter showed how far he has to go to challenge for the national crown, he believes a bit more self confidence can go a long way.

“I was a bit nervous as it was my first semi-final,” said Penty. “I hadn’t played a match like that until I got to the semi and you need to experience it more often to be able to compete.

“I need to show a bit more belief and I struggled with that. I need to believe that I can compete with players like Baxter but I need to play those matches more often.”

Penty will not have to wait long until he gets the chance to banish his disappointment and he will have the opportunity to test himself against the best on the continent later this month, having been selected for his England debut at the European Team Championships in Amsterdam.

And while he believes his World Championships feats, where he reached the second round, may have worked against him in Bolton, he’s determined to make his international mark.

“The pressure was on a bit more here after the World Championships but I got as far as I was seeded and maybe I can kick on from there.”

To purchase tickets to the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships from March 6-11, 2012, visit allenglandbadminton.com.