FORMER Guernsey champion Glenn Macfarlane could be playing again by the end of the year. Three weeks after an operation on the right knee that has troubled him so much for so long, he was a very interested spectator at the Guernsey Open at the Rohais Hall this weekend.

Using just one crutch to help him get around, Macfarlane was optimistic that he might be on the way back to competitive badminton, after having been warned that his playing days could be over.

‘I’ve been told that in six to nine months I’ll be playing again. I should be able to run on it in three months or so, though I won’t be able to side-step on it for a while.’

Macfarlane has had surgery on the joint to reconstruct the cruciate ligament and repair damage to the cartilage.

The process involved taking strands of his hamstring muscle at the back of the thigh and inserting them through the knee, effectively creating a new ligament.

The work was carried out at the London Knee Clinic by Angus Strover, the senior surgeon and a leading figure in cruciate ligament repair and joint replacement.

It was an expensive operation – about £9,000 – but one which will give Macfarlane every chance to get back playing again.

‘It’s been well worth it. I had been warned that I might not be able to play or even walk properly again.

‘They gave me a copy of the operation on DVD. It’s pretty interesting, but it does put you off your dinner.’