BADMINTON players are celebrating 75 years since the formation of the East Lothian Badminton League and looking to inspire a new generation of players.
The county’s badminton roots stretch back over a century, with the earliest recorded match taking place at the tennis court at Western District Hospital, Haddington, in 1920.
The league, which was established in 1950, has grown to feature nine teams playing across two divisions.
Lorna Geraghty, founding member of North Berwick Badminton Club, hopes that showcasing the league's legacy will inspire people “back to the sport.”
She said: “We now have a new club in Wallyford which is very, very busy because of its great location next to Tranent and Prestonpans.
“A lot of people can pick it back up again, there are a lot of people who have played before but find it difficult to get people to play with them, so this is a good way to solve that issue and get back into playing.”
Jack Tully Jackson, who passed away in 2017 aged 93, was a founding member of East Lothian Badminton League and, through his role as a Haddington historian, helped keen players create a timeline of badminton throughout the county.
Jack began playing during the Second World War, when St Mary’s Church Badminton Club played matches in the upstairs hall in the Town House, and helped to provide racquets to those who could not afford them throughout the war and post-war years.
The clubs became a regular community fixture, often entering floats in the annual Haddington Festival parade throughout the 1970s.
In the 1990s, Haddington Badminton Club split into two, forming the Aubigny Club, with both still featuring in the league tables today.
Alongside its league fixtures, the modern-day East Lothian Badminton Association also runs several smaller tournaments, including its annual Christmas Cracker knockout competition, which attracted 20 sign-ups within the first 24 hours of registration opening.
North Berwick, Dunbar and Haddington all run junior sections, with the North Berwick club featuring a father-and-daughter duo in their squads.
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Lorna, originally from Ireland, said: “I played badminton when I was a young girl at boarding school, then worked abroad, came to East Lothian and started playing again.
“We have one guy who has just joined who used to play with some seriously good players 14 years ago picking up the racquet.
“There are so many other sports, padel, tennis, squash, everyone is competing for space and players for one another, but I do think people should come back to badminton.”
Although players are associated with one club, members of East Lothian Badminton Association can play for any across the county.
With no plans yet confirmed to celebrate the league’s 75th birthday, current plyers hope to welcome back old players and attract newcomers to the sport.
More information about East Lothian Badminton Association can be found online.
