1938: Badminton

Archives consist of articles that originally appeared in Collier's Year Book (for events of 1997 and earlier) or as monthly updates in Encarta Yearbook (for events of 1998 and later). Because they were published shortly after events occurred, they reflect the information available at that time. Cross references refer to Archive articles of the same year.

1938: Badminton

The 1938 report of the American Badminton Association shows a growth during the past year of the number of clubs in the United States from 155 to 229. An annual meeting of the American Badminton Association was held at the Penn Athletic Club in Philadelphia on March 26 and the following officers were elected: W. Hamilton Walter of Chicago, President; W. West Frazier 3rd of Philadelphia and Orville H. Mills of Seattle, Vice-Presidents; and Norval P. Trimborn, of Chicago, Secretary-Treasurer. The second annual championships held at the Penn Athletic Club in Philadelphia from March 23 to 26, were represented by players from every section of the country, indicating a widespread interest in this relatively new American sport.

The men's singles championship was won by Walter Kramer of Detroit who defeated William Markham of New York City, 15-12, 17-15. The women's singles title was won (7-11, 11-6, 11-4) by Mrs. D. K. Barkhuff of Seattle in a closely-played match with Mary Whittemore the left-handed Boston star. The women's doubles were won (18-13, 10-15, 18-14) by Mrs. Roy Berg and Helen Gibson of Westport, Conn., who took from their Seattle opponents, Mrs. Barkhuff and Zoe Smith the national women's doubles title which they won in 1937. Hamilton Law and R. Yeager, both of Seattle, won the men's doubles title from the Californians Donald Eversoll and Chester Goss, with a score of 15-10, 15-10. The mixed doubles title was retained by the Seattle players, Mrs. Barkhuff and Hamilton Law, when they defeated the contenders Mrs. George W. Wightman of Boston and Chester Goss of Los Angeles by a score of 15-5, 15-11.

1939: Badminton

National.

Badminton is enjoying increased interest both in championship games and in informal games played in clubs and elsewhere. The game brought together more spectators in 1939 than during the previous year and boasts of attracting 200 ranking racquet swingers from all parts of the United States for the third annual championships, held in New York for the first time. Whereas foreigners excelled in the past, Americans are now taking hold, as is seen in the remarkable playing of Bill Markam, a young American professional of New York, who romped to victory over the agile Jack Purcell, of Canada, the perennial badminton star of the English-speaking world.

California seems to foster netmen since Dave Freeman, of Pasadena (the 1938 national junior tennis champion in both singles and doubles) successfully weathered the stiff competition of three days of play to win the men's national singles crown. Along the route he downed Walter Kramer, of Detroit, who had won the championship every year since it was inaugurated in 1937. In the doubles race, the team of Hamilton Law and Richard Yaeger took the national championship in stride.

The women were every bit as remarkable. Miss Mary Whittemore, of Boston, became the new national titleholder, successfully winning the honor from Miss Helen Gibson, and was also the best in the Eastern district. Mrs. Del Barhuff, last year's singles winner, finished third and also shared honors with Miss Zoe Smith in winning the national doubles title.

New Yorkers saw spectacular playing when Paul Vansco, of the Central Badminton Club, bested his opponents to win the Eastern men's title. His phenomenal rise took him from sixth place in the Eastern ranking, and he also defeated Clifton Stephens, the newly crowned metropolitan champion.

International.

The International Badminton Federation held its sixth annual meeting in London, attended by representatives of seventeen countries. An offer from Sir George Thomas of a trophy for international competition was accepted and regulations were presented governing the tournament. The Canadian Association suggested a revision of the laws of the game, and new laws embodying the principles of consolidation, improved sequence of presentation and simplification were approved and made effective.

The All-England championship, unofficially representing world ranking, announced its 36th annual competition in 1939, with the Danish entrants as top winners; Tage Madsen in the men's singles, and Mrs. Dalsgard and Miss Olsen in the women's doubles. The men's doubles title went to T. H. Boyle and J. L. Rankin, of Ireland. In the ladies' singles, Mrs. W. R. Walton, of Toronto, won the title. In the Canadian open (amateur and professional) George Goodwin (pro), of Ottawa, won the singles title; and Paul and Jim Snyder (amateurs) of Waterloo, Ont., won the doubles.

1940: Badminton

Badminton likes to claim its origin in New York, with the oldest badminton club in the world, the Badminton Club of the City of New York, as the birthplace of the sport, regardless of those who support some clubs in England for that honor. Major T. J. Oakley Rhinelander, one of the three living founders of the New York club, established in 1878, continues to be one of the staunch supporters of badminton tournaments in New York, but the West has taken over supremacy in the sport during the past two years.

David G. Freeman, of Pasadena, Cal., was largely responsible for California's unprecedented success, for it was he who retained the singles title he won in 1939 and shared the titles in the men's and mixed doubles championships. Again he downed the great Walter Kramer for individual honors, and paired with Chester Goss, of Los Angeles, he upset Hamilton Law and Richard Yaeger, the title holders. Miss Sara Williams paired with him to win the mixed doubles crown.

The outstanding professional players in the United States are Kenneth Davidson, a Scotsman, and Hugh Forgie and Howard Brand, Canadians, who split up in various combinations for singles and doubles matches. Davidson is acknowledged as the cleverest badminton player to watch.

Women who led the field in championship events were Miss Evelyn Boldrick, who captured the national singles title, and Miss Elizabeth Anselm and Miss Helen Zabriskie, the doubles winners, all Californians. The best in the Eastern championships for men were Harold Seavey, of Boston, singles winner, and John Laimbeer and Julian H. Burgiss, in the men's doubles.

1941: Badminton

This sport is growing by leaps and bounds as a competitive event, a home game, and as an exhibition feature. Not only were many thousands of spectators thrilled by two top professionals at Radio City, New York, but in amateur ranks as well the sport continues to be of great interest. Competitively it is making remarkable headway, too, with Dave Freeman, of Pasadena, Calif., a twenty-year-old student at Pomona College, Calif., presiding as badminton's top man. Formerly a tennis player of international note, Freeman retained the men's National Championship for its third successive year, defeating Carl Loveday, of Montclair, N. J., for national honors. Loveday later won the Metropolitan New York, Eastern, and New England badminton titles.

Among women badminton stars, of which there are many, Miss Thelma Kingsbury, former English champion, became the women's national badminton title holder. She defeated Miss Evelyn Boldrick, of San Diego, Calif. In the mixed doubles championship, Freeman and Miss Kingsbury took the crown in masterful manner. Freeman and Chester Goss, also of Pasadena, won the men's doubles title, and Miss Kingsbury and Miss Janet Wright, of Oakland, Calif., won the women's doubles crown. Miss Mary Hagan, of the Old Sixty-ninth Badminton Club of New York, exhibited a fine brand of playing which earned her both the Eastern and Metropolitan New York titles.

Among badminton organizations in New York, Central "Y" won the men's Class A team title of the Metropolitan Badminton Association. Spencer Davis is the standout among college players, winning the Eastern intercollegiate title when he was a sophomore at Princeton. John P. Laimbeer and Julian H. Burgess of the Garden City bc won the sixth annual Middle Atlantic doubles championship.

1956: Badminton

Finn Kobbero of Copenhagen and Judy Devlin of Baltimore won the United States open badminton championships in the tournament at Philadelphia. Kobbero beat the defending men's titleholder, Joseph Alston of Pasadena, Calif., 15-11, 15-8. Miss Devlin regained the title she had lost to Margaret Varner the year before by beating the Bostonian in a return match, 12-10, 11-6.

Kobbero, a 25-year-old, played a smooth, well-controlled game against the 29-year-old Federal Bureau of Investigation agent. Alson was at his best in the first game, when he came from behind to tie at 11-all, but the Dane took the next four points. The new champion pulled his opponent out of position and fired "kill" shots consistently to take the second game.

Miss Varner won the all-England title in London by beating Miss Devlin in the final while Kobbero was runner-up for the men's division. Malaya's Eddy Choong beat the Copenhagen ace in three games in the final.

The national junior boys' crown was taken by Gary McFarlane of Lewiston, N.Y., victor over Russ Paquette of Detroit, 15-10, 13-15, 15-7. The girls' junior title was defended successfully by Gregor Stewart of Baltimore. She beat Norma Slauer of Marblehead, Mass., also runner-up in 1955.

1957: Badminton

Judy Devlin of Baltimore was America's foremost figure in badminton during 1957. The 21-year-old girl, who also goes in seriously for stamp collecting, won the American, Canadian, and all-England championships and paired with her sister Sue for our national women's doubles crown.

Winner of the national men's open title was Finn Kobbero of Denmark, who defeated the redoubtable Eddie Choong of Malaya in three games. Choong, one of the world's best, gained one of the few distinctions that had escaped him. He took the championship of his own country for the first time.

Miss Devlin beat Margaret Varner of Boston easily to keep the American women's title. The scores were 11-2, 11-2. In Canada, she beat Mrs. Lois Alston of San Diego, Calif., in the final, 11-2, 11-3. Canada's men's singles was kept by Vancouver's Dave MacTaggart in a final with Martin Mendez of San Diego.

1966: Badminton

Once again, Mrs. Judy Devlin Hashman, a native of Baltimore who lives in England, demonstrated that she is the world's best woman player. Sweeping through the 56th All-England championships at Wembley, Mrs. Hashman defeated Imre Reitveld, a 19-year-old from the Netherlands, 11-6, 11-7, in the finals to gain her ninth unofficial world title in 12 years. Then Mrs. Hashman teamed with her sister, Susan Devlin Peard, who lives in Ireland, to take the doubles for the sixth time, defeating Mrs. Ulla Strand and Karin Jorgensen of Denmark, winners the past two years, 15-5, 14-17, 15-12.

A week later Mrs. Hashman and her sister won the Canadian Open, and a week after that they won the U.S. Open. It was Mrs. Hashman's 11th U.S. singles title and her 10th doubles championship, nine of them with her sister as partner.

In the Uber Cup (the women's world team championship held every three years, this year at Wellington, New Zealand, on May 21), the U.S. team, led by Mrs. Hashman and managed by her father, Frank, All-England men's champion from 1925 through 1929, was heavily favored over Japan in the finals. This time Mrs. Hashman, weak from a recent flu attack, lost her singles match, and even though she won in the doubles, the United States was soundly trounced, 5-2, by the Japanese.

Winners of the major championships of the year:

All-England

London, March 23-26

Men's singles: Tan Aik Huang, Malaysia

Women's singles: Mrs. Judy Hashman, U.S.A.

Men's doubles: Ng Boon Bee and Tan Yee Khan, Malaysia

Women's doubles: Hashman and Susan Peard, Ireland

U.S. Open

New Britain, Conn., April 6-9

Men's singles: Tan Aik Huang, Malaysia

Women's singles: Mrs. Judy Hashman, U.S.A.

Men's doubles: Ng Boon Bee and Tan Yee Khan, Malaysia

Women's doubles: Hashman and Susan Peard, Ireland

Canadian Open

Quebec City, April 1-2

Men's singles: Tan Aik Huang, Malaysia

Women's singles: Mrs. Judy Hashman, U.S.A.

Men's doubles: Ng Boon Bee and Tan Yee Khan, Malaysia

Women's doubles: Hashman and Susan Peard, Ireland

1967: Badminton

The 57th All-England championships at Wembley were marked by the resurgence of Denmark as a world badminton power and the final appearance of the incomparable Judy Hashman in the women's singles. The Danes, led by the bearded Erland Kops, who won the men's singles and doubles, and Mrs. Ulla Strand, who shared two championships, boasted 10 of the 16 possible finalists in the five events. As a matter of fact, the men's doubles and mixed doubles finals pitted Danes against Danes.

Mrs. Hashman, the world's greatest woman player, had decided before the tournament to limit her play after the 1967 season. An English and geography teacher at a prep school in England and the mother of a two-year-old boy, Mrs. Hashman felt that at 31 she had "accomplished what I set out to accomplish." Indeed she had, for Mrs. Hashman won her tenth unofficial world singles championship in 13 years when she defeated Noriko Takagi of Japan 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, in the grueling 46-minute finals. Thirteen years earlier, as Judy Devlin, the daughter of six-time world champion J. Frank Devlin of Baltimore, Mrs. Hashman had won her first world singles title, as well as her first U.S. Open championship. One of the world's finest woman athletes, Judy was also a skillful field hockey player, was once a member of the U.S. national lacrosse team, and was on the Junior Wightman Cup tennis squad. She concentrated on badminton, and the world has yet to see another woman player like her. A few weeks after the All-England championships, Mrs. Hashman gained her 12th, and last, U.S. singles title, her 11th doubles championship, and the mixed doubles title.

The winners of the major championships of the year:

All-England

Wembley, England, March 15-18

Men's singles: Erland Kops, Denmark

Women's singles: Judy Hashman, U.S.A.

Men's doubles: Kops and Henning Borch, Denmark

Women's doubles: Imre Rietveld, Netherlands, and Ulla Strand, Denmark

Mixed doubles: Sven Anderson and Mrs. Strand, Denmark

U.S. Open

Flint, Mich., April 12-15

Men's singles: Erland Kops, Denmark

Women's singles: Judy Hashman, U.S.A.

Men's doubles: Kops and Joe Alston, U.S.A.

Women's doubles: Mrs. Hashman and Rosine Jones, U.S.A.

Mixed doubles: Jim Sydie, Scotland, and Mrs. Hashman

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