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The very first piece of All England silverware is home.
The All England Mixed Doubles Championship Challenge Cup has recently been acquired by the National Badminton Museum and now sits in pride of place at the heart of the National Badminton Centre, Badminton England’s headquarters in Milton Keynes.
The cup was first presented at the very first All England Badminton Championships in 1899. The first winners were English pair D.M. Oakes and Miss Daisey St. John.
In 1921, the cup was won outright by Sir George Thomas and Hazel Hogarth after they won it at three consecutive Championships – in 1914, 1920 and 1921 (there were no championships between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War).
Originally the cup would have had a wooden plinth base where the winners’ names would have been engraved. It is hallmarked London 1897 by Edward Barnard and Sons Ltd.
The trophy was presented to the winners, who also received 2 guineas (£2.10p), with the runners-up receiving 1 guinea.
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The National Badminton Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, badminton artefacts, archives and memorabilia in the world.
And it can all be seen at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, the home of English badminton.
