Origins of the Sport of Badminton
j: First Recorded Matches
The first recorded Badminton Match was played on Friday March 28th 1890, and reported both in the Hampshire Post April 4th 1890, and The Field April 5th 1890. Here is the Hampshire Post introduction:
BADMINTON AT SOUTHSEA
A match was played on Friday last, between the “Southsea Badminton Club” and the “Caledonian Club”. Eight sets were played (the best of three games in each case) and as will be seen from the particulars below, the “Southsea Badminton Club” proved victorious in each event: in fact not a game was scored against them.
The match consisted of one Ladies Doubles, two Gentlemen's Doubles, three Mixed Doubles, and two ‘Ladies versus Gentlemen's Doubles’.
{Detailed scores follow...}
A large number of friends of the two clubs were present, and a very enjoyable afternoon was passed. The “Caledonians” are not such experienced players as their opponents; but with a little more practice, they should be able to give the “Southsea Club” considerably greater difficulty in beating them than they did on this occasion. The “Bath Badminton Club” are sending a team to play the “Southsea Club” on Thursday the 10th inst.; and as they are reported to be very strong, some interesting games are expected.
Even the Southsea Ladies v the Caledonian Gentlemen was one-sided, ending 15-1, 15-7.
The eagerly awaited Bath match was reported again in both the Hampshire Post 18 April 1890 and The Field, the former being more expansive. It starts:
BADMINTON AT SOUTHSEA
The long looked for match between the Bath and Southsea Badminton Clubs came off on Thursday, the 10th inst., in the Pavilion of the South Parade Pier, Southsea. The former club sent a strong team to represent them; and, as had been anticipated an exciting contest resulted. Excellent play was shown on both sides, eliciting frequent applause from the large company present to witness the match. The result was a victory for the Southsea Club by five sets to two, and one set drawn owing to want of time to play it out. Particulars of the play are as follows:
Detailed results follow, including a game curiously scored as 14-3, 14-0. This is probably a game which went to 14-all, and then 3-0 after setting. It is not a misprint, as it appears identically in both papers, and also occurred in the previous match.
The articles conclude with a report on a match between United Services Badminton Club and the Caledonian Club, played the following day (Friday afternoon) also in the Pavilion of South Parade Pier. “Six sets were formed, including singles, doubles and trebles; and throughout, the play was exciting, and great interest was shown by the spectators. Eventually the Services were victorious, securing four games to two”.
Most aggravatingly, after the first ever suggestion of singles in Badminton, the reported results did not mention it. The matches played were 1 Gents Doubles, 1 Ladies Doubles, 2 Mixed Doubles, 1 Mixed Trebles (2 ladies and a gent) and one Mixed Trebles (2 gents and a lady).