BADMINTON NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22065, 22 September 1933, Page 3

BADMINTON NOTES

By Shuttle. Badminton in Dunedin has not been able to survive the double blows of splendid sunny weather, which has made early lawn tennis possible, and a most exhausting tournament. The United Club has closed for the season, but the Twenty, Dunedin and Maori Hill Clubs are still 'going with the aid of a few stalwarts. The president and Mrs Ferguson, of the Twenty Club, arranged a yery enjoyable. president’s night- lust week, which took the form of an American tournament followed by a supper. The tournament was won by Mrs Wearn and Mr Hawksworth, who were each presented by Mr Ferguson with a prize*. On Monday night, to show their appreciation of the efforts of the ladies of the club when refreshments have been required, the men of the Twenty Club,entertained the ladies. Badminton iu New, Zealand is, controlled by the New Zealand Badminton Federation which was formed two years ago arid supplanted the New Zealand Badminton Association. The federation is incorporated and has full power of control. The rules of the federation, which will be of interest to all players, are that:— 1. The federation forces clubs within an area which has a district association to affiliate through the association with the federation, 2. The annual subscription is threepence per member of a club, or association affiliated, payable on or before June 30 each year. 3. By implication affiliated fees have to be paid through the district association if there is one. 4. Each district association may appoint one delegate for every 50 membois registered, and a club in a district with no association is allowed one delegate. - 5. Delegates have a vote for every active member in the club or association they represent. 6. Proxy votes are allowed; but one delegate may only represent by proxy one association or club. 7. All competitions, open championships, tournaments, and are subject to the sanction of the council, and must be played under the laws of the game as approved by the Badminton Association (England). 8. District associations must communicate to all affiliated dubs or sub-associa-tions all matters communicated to it by the federation and vice versa. 9. Member clubs must communicate with the federation through their district association if there is one. Whilst these rules were possibly an improvement in some ways on those of the old association, in other ways they are not —a fact which has been shown by the general lack of control exercised by the federation compared with that of the former association. Specifically, the rules allow too much scope for clubs to be controlled by an association, and do not define sufficiently the methods to be adopted in forming an association.. The rules also have no safeguard in them against Badminton business or financial interests obtaining control of the federation by personal representation as delegates or council members. Apart from the form of the rules which are more definite in England, the system there is the same as in New Zealand, except that clubs are affiliated direct to the controlling body, and county associations, which correspond with the district ones here, are not incorporated bodies, so are not bound down to certain rules. As a rule they consist merely of a committee which arranges any county tournaments, trials, or matches, and often have no rules at all, any dispute being at once settled by reference to the rules of the English Badminton Association.