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Are you able to provide names to some of the past players associated with any of the above teams? Then I would be delighted to hear from you either by e-mail Martin.Loveless@iow.gov.uk or by post to 122 Perowne Way Sandown I.W.PO36 9DT

 

Above is a photo of Newport C's victorious Mallett Cup side at the Winter Gardens in 1978.
from Left: Jill Scott  John Dyer  Mandy Gould,  Mike West, Angie Buckett  Steve Ball 

It was the early seventies when I first played a badminton match in the Island league.
I had started playing in the mid-sixties at Newport, but in those days league badminton was considered far too competitive and the club wanted merely social badminton with a nice cup of tea halfway through the evening.
When a team was eventually entered in the league in the late sixties I was not selected as players like Eddie Utteridge and Alan Gurney made up the side. It must have been about 1972 before I finally made the team. It wasn’t that my fine play forced me into the side it was more a case of nobody else being available.

Clubnights at Newport were Thursday and on one particular Thursday, the team found itself a player short for the following evening and as by now it was quite late I was the only suitable player left at the club. I was told I would be playing against Plessey at Denmark Road School Hall, which would make a change as I had only ever played at Newport.
What a change. This hall was above where Solent used to play. Right above the net was a lattice beam, which if you hit was a fault but if you played the shuttle through the beam the game just continued. What a contrast to the high roof of Newport Drill Hall. It seemed that the home team tended to hit the beam more than the away side.
In those days everybody played in all-white with wooden racquets and Dunlop green flash plimsolls being en-vogue.
I can’t remember the result, I can only recall that playing for Newport that evening were Harold Barber who sadly passed away about 15 years ago and his daughter Angie Buckett who incidently 30 years on I still play at tennis every week.
In a way the result didn’t matter , the main achieve was that another league badminton career had started.

1952 was the dawn of a new era for Great Britain, austerity was coming to an end and a new young Queen was on the throne heralding the start of another golden Elizabethan era. Amidst this optimism the Isle of Wight Badminton League was formed with 6 teams competing.

The results on the opening week were:

Two points were awarded for a win and it is interesting to note that the aggregate scores amounted to 16. Can any older players explain the playing system used. One possible explanation is that each team consisted of 4 mixed pairs playing just one set against each pair. It is believed that this system lasting for only a few years being replaced by the 3 mixed pairs format. At the end of the season Newport were the first champions winning all their matches and have won it outright 12 more times as well as sharing the trophy with Ventnor twice. Runners up were Cowes followed by Yarmouth.

Badminton on the Island was flourishing before World War II and the I.W. restricted tournament at Seaview organised by Lt- Col H.J.H.Inglis and Mrs Inglis was already an established event by 1952. Note that Mrs Inglis’ initial was not mentioned in the press report. In the Levels W.R.& Mrs Thursfield were triumphant. They won the Mixed Doubles against Matthews and Miss Barton 15-3 15-10 and in the Mens W.R.Thursfield teamed up with association chairman Tom Kennedy to defeat W.Irons & C.Matthews 11-15 15-12 15-4 whilst Mrs Thursfield teamed up with Mrs Dodds to win the Ladies Doubles 15-7 15-11 against Miss Barton & Miss Chapman.
In the handicap competitions the handicaps of the semi finals ranged from –H-10 to +6. In the Mens doubles Higginson & Smith were given the unusual handicap –H+2.

Another tournament held every Easter at Seaview was the I.W.Open badminton tournament which in 1952 attracted 4 all-England champions. E.B Choong the national Mens Singles Champion from Malaya retained the Mens Singles for the third successive year and then partnered his brother to victory in the Mens Doubles. The I.W.County Press reported that the onerous duties of general hon secretary were efficiently carried out by Mrs H.J.H.Inglis,  and that the referee Lt-Col H.J.H.Inglis  carried out his duties with characteristic ability.  Again we were not informed of Mrs Inglis initials. With such an impressive entry list this event attracted a large contingent of spectators. The trophies were presented by Mrs Drew, wife of Air Commodore B.C.H.Drew C.M.G. C.V.O. C.B.E.

What was worn by players in 1952? This advert that appeared in the County Press just beneath the badminton results may give us a clue.

FLANNEL! FLANNEL! – Schofield’s of Rochdale’s standard Navy Flannel for Men’s Wear in Cream or Blued 6/11 a yard – BURTON’S NEWPORT.

For our younger readers this is not Burton’s Menswear shop currently in Newport High Street but was a privately run ladies and gents outfitters owned by Madame Burton from France, situated where Mk One now is.
The snippets reported in the local press give us a brief insight into badminton 50 years ago but if anybody has any memories of that period or can give us more details about the personalities involved please contact Martin Loveless.