Ross Badminton Club has recently reached a huge milestone, celebrating its 75th birthday!
Having started life in 1950 at the Drill Hall, Alton Road with just one court and a group of around 25 members, the club now have to deal with the moans and groans of the players who now have to wait for their time on court…despite the luxury of four courts at their disposal.
From the very start, the club was one of the largest in the Wyedean League – most recently it has been participating in the Gloucestershire League to increase competitive play. In January 1981, the club moved to the new sports hall at John Kyrle, where they have been playing ever since.
For the club’s 50th anniversary they hosted a fun tournament for both past and present members and, in February 2006, there was a big celebration to commemorate playing 25 years at John Kyrle.
There have been some big changes in the sport of badminton since this prestigious club was founded – rackets are no longer made of wood, outfits no longer need to be white from top to bottom and, a more significant shift, the scoring rule was changed in August 2006 in order to add extra excitement to the game.
But for 75 years, Ross BC has provided the opportunity to play competitive badminton in the town and they marked the event with a celebratory buffet and skittles afternoon a couple of weeks ago.
Anyone was welcome to attend and the club had hoped that many old members would come along and enjoy the day, which they did!
Congratulations to all who have contributed to such a vibrant and successful community badminton facility over the last 75 years. And Happy Birthday to Ross Badminton Club from all at Badminton England.
