Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949
    A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949
    A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949
    Ebook81 pages1 hour

    A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949

    By Betty Uber

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This vintage book contains a detailed account of the history of badminton, from its conception in the late nineteenth century to 1949. Badminton is a racket sport whereby a shuttlecock is hit back and forth across a net. Although larger teams are possible, it is most commonly played in "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players per side). This interesting volume explores its origins in India and follows its subsequent development and evolution, with reference to notable events, figures, and organisations. “A Brief History of Badminton” constitutes a must-read for those with an interest in the sport, and it would make for a fantastic addition to collections of allied literature. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on badminton.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateSep 20, 2016
    ISBN9781473357280
    A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949

    Related to A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949

    Related ebooks

    Sports & Recreation For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Philippine Election: Who's Who In The Race To Replace President Rodrigo Duterte?

      May 7, 2022

      On May 9, tens of millions of Filipinos will head to the polls to pick a new wave of leaders for the country, including their next president. The incoming leader - who would replace the 77-year-old populist President Rodrigo Duterte known for his dea

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Wimbledon Now And Them

      Jun 25, 2021

      Wimbledon Now And Them
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Courts Of Appeal

      Jun 15, 2023

      Courts Of Appeal
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      T20 Cricket World Cup

      Sep 16, 2021

      T20 Cricket World Cup
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Patrick Kidd

      Oct 27, 2022

      Patrick Kidd
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      15 things You Never Knew About Chess

      Sep 9, 2021

      CHESS has been described as the ultimate game of cerebral fitness, or at least it was once in a song by Murray Head. The game has perplexed and fascinated mankind ever since it originated in northwest India in the 7th century, before spreading eastwa

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Continental Grip

      Jun 26, 2024

      Continental Grip
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The More The Merrier

      Sep 14, 2023

      The More The Merrier
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cricket! It’s Not Cricket!

      May 16, 2024

      Cricket! It’s Not Cricket!
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      I Don’t Like Cricket..!

      May 16, 2024

      “I LOVE it!” So sang 10CC in their hit 1978 hit song, Dreadlock Holiday. But can you imagine a world where cricket fell out of favour and we had to chose a new pastime to replace the quintessential gentleman’s game? We asked a handful of A-list celeb

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Clay Pigeon Shooting

      Sep 16, 2024

      Clay Pigeon Shooting
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      When Double Barrels Became De Rigueur

      Feb 15, 2024

      BY THE second quarter of the 18th century in Europe the matchlock gun had all but vanished and the wheellock was retained mainly for the ignition of heavy rifles used in Germany and Austria. Except for the Mediterranean area, the flintlock was in alm

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Made For Bustards

      Nov 14, 2019

      Made For Bustards
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Royal Charter

      Nov 18, 2020

      Royal Charter
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      League Of Their Own

      Jun 9, 2023

      League Of Their Own
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Fun & Games

      Nov 4, 2022

      Fun & Games
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      An Ace Collection!

      May 12, 2023

      With Wimbledon on the horizon, many of us will be keenly anticipating breaking out the Pimms, stuffing ourselves with strawberries and cream, and watching the world’s finest players battle it out on the famous courts. But that doesn’t mean abandoning

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Stepping Back In Time

      Dec 8, 2022

      Stepping Back In Time
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Who Invented

      Aug 4, 2022

      Who Invented
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Shotgun, Rifle And Bayonet

      Nov 19, 2020

      Shotgun, Rifle And Bayonet
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Reel Deal

      Apr 18, 2024

      The Reel Deal
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Old Cricket says

      Jul 1, 2024

      ANYONE FOR SPHAIRISTIKE? That’s what the ancient Greeks called one of today’s most exciting and popular sports: tennis. They didn’t have rackets or nets in those early days. Players simply swatted a ball, bare-handed, back and forth across an earthen

      1 min read

    Reviews for A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949

    3.5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949 - Betty Uber

      1939–1949

      THE HISTORY OF BADMINTON: 1870–1914

      ABOUT 1870 the village of Badminton in Gloucestershire became well known as a centre of sport, and Badminton Park, the country seat of the Duke of Beaufort, a great patron of sport at the time, became the scene of many sporting events. The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes is on sale in the shops to this day, and the Race Meeting still takes place there once a year. Apart from these two, there is little to remind one of the past except one sport—to me a very important one—the game of Badminton itself.

      This game was introduced by the Duke to his guests—Army officers on leave from India—to amuse them during, one would imagine, a patch of extraordinary bad weather. This was about 1870 and was the first time, so far as is known, that the game was ever played. It was, of course, little more than a glorified form of battledore and shuttlecock, played in a large room in the Duke’s house. The curious part about these early games was that, owing to the shape of the room used, an absurd and fortuitous handicap was placed on the game for years.

      It happened that the room in which they played had two large doors opening inwards on the side walls, so in order to allow people to enter and leave the room without disturbing the game in progress it was arranged that although the baselines occupied the width of the room, the court was narrowed considerably at the net—and so the ‘hour-glass’-shaped court originated. What astonishes one is that this ridiculously shaped court was accepted as being correct as recently as 1901, three All-England Championships actually taking place under these conditions.

      In 1873 the game, in a primitive form, was being played by the Services in Western India, but it did not take on in England as a covered court game before about 1890. However, there was a Service club in existence in Folkestone as far back as 1875. Although these facts are all I can discover about the early days of Badminton in this country, there is a possibility that some form of it was played in France at a still earlier date. This is suggested by an eighteenth-century French print, which depicts a game in progress definitely resembling an archaic form of Badminton. I can tell you nothing further about this print, but its very existence is interesting. Another glimpse into the past can be had from an extract from Cassell’s Book of Outdoor Sport and Indoor Amusements, which was reprinted in an early edition of the Badminton Gazette. This was from an old book, unfortunately not dated, but I feel confident it describes the game in its very early infancy. It amused me enormously, so, with the permission of the Editor of the Badminton Gazette, here are some portions:

      ". . . The game is, in fact, an adaptation of the ancient child’s game of battledore and shuttlecock. All that is added is a net which compels each player to return the shuttlecock fairly to his adversary. . . .

      "The requisites for the game are, besides the net and poles, nothing more than a few good shuttlecocks and as many battledores as there are players. The framework of the battledore should be covered in with string, like a racket, and not with parchment, so as not to make that loud noise, which is one of the disadvantages—or perhaps to some juvenile players, the attractions—of the more boyish game. The shuttlecocks should be large and solid, made of cork weighted with lead, and having a thread passed round the feathers, crossing them alternately in and out and drawn tighter or looser, according as it is wished that the shuttlecocks should go more or less quickly through the air.

      "The court for Badminton need not, and should not, be nearly so large as for Lawn Tennis. Forty-two feet long and twenty feet wide is the usual size, but it may be enlarged if big and swift-flying shuttlecocks are used. Another peculiarity is the rule as to service, and the service line. This line is placed at various distances from the net, according to the strength of the bats or rackets used, but it is seldom more than nine or less than five feet from the net. The service must in this game be sent beyond and not on the inner side of the service line. . . .

      ". . . When it is played out of doors, and there is a wind, it is best perhaps to arrange for the net to be in line with the wind, so that each side suffers equally from the sidelong action of the air. If this is impossible, some compensation may be made by moving the net a foot or two up-wind so that the service line is only 4 to 7 feet from the net on the windward side and 6 to 11 feet off on the leeward. Also, it is a good plan to shorten considerably the length of the courts on the leeward, so as to make it more difficult for those playing up-wind to place their shuttlecocks within bounds. . . .

      It may be added that when a spare room can be found, having pretty smooth walls, without too many corners and angles, Badminton may still be played with much pleasure. A room from 16 to 30 feet long and from 8 to 20 feet wide is not too small. A net may be stretched across the middle of it, and the shuttlecock, even if it does strike against the side or back walls, will bound off quite far enough to allow of its being struck by the battledore and thus the game comes to include in itself some of the charms and difficulties of Rackets, and to be, in the opinion of some players, rather improved than spoilt by the limitation of space. . . .

      The latter part of this description, concerning

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1