Origins of the Sport of Badminton
b: Badminton Game of Battledore
Someone obviously missed the point though, because a couple of weeks later there was a further letter on the subject. The Field 28 June 1873
THE BADMINTON GAME OF BATTLEDORE. - The account given by J.H.F.W. of “battledore at Badminton” is not a description of the game as usually played, the great object of which is to keep up, by steady play, a very large number, without allowing the shuttlecock to fall to the ground; and that can only be done by each player trying to send back the shuttlecock every time in such a way as to give his partner in the game a fair stroke at it. After having overcome the first difficulties of the game, and when able to keep up a moderate number, say from 100 to 150, if the novices wish to acquire superior excellence in the game, let each practice daily with a first-rate player, and let them also practice somewhat eccentric strokes, sometimes standing far apart from one another, and at other times close together; and thus, by having to make use of and judging different strengths, and by finding the shuttlecock returned to them in all sorts of different positions, they become gradually prepared for almost any contingency that may occur when they happen to be playing the ordinary and regular game of battledore and shuttlecock. I was staying in a country house in Scotland many years ago, where we practiced the game daily in the billiard room, and I send you a few notes of what we achieved. (1) With two shuttlecocks flying at the same time, my host and I made 110. (2) The same players, assisted by a lady, played a triangular game, and made 435. (3) My host and I found the ordinary ding-dong method of playing not sufficiently exciting and too easy, so we hung a sheet over a cord at about 8 ft from the floor, so that neither player could see the other; the shuttlecock always disappeared each time from the view of the last striker, and we kept up a large number; but even that was not sufficiently difficult and exciting, and we therefore hung a hoop 2 ft 2˝ ins in diameter over the sheet, the lower part of the hoop just touching the sheet, and through this hoop in one innings we made it pass 370 times. It will interest your readers to be informed that two good and steady players take about twenty-two minutes to play 1000 up in one innings. - SHUTTLECOCK.
A fascinating letter, but for all his innovations ‘Shuttlecock’ is still describing the old game of Battledore and Shuttlecock, in which the players play as partners, whereas in the new game they are opponents. If only the idea had struck him to consider his host as an adversary, he might have gone down in history as the inventor of the new game, which would probably have borne a Scottish name.
What other replies can we look forward to?