Hazell’s Streamline Blue Star Mark 1 Racket.
The National Badminton Museum has managed to acquire a second 1930s Hazell’s Streamline Blue Star badminton racket for the National Racket Collection.
The main reason for having this racket is that so we can display it at the Yonex All-England Badminton Championships.
Hazells were well known for making good quality rackets in the 1930s, and they produced rackets for tennis, badminton and squash. This design was designed by Frank Donisthorpe and was patented in 1937 by the United States Patent Office, the patent included a note – “The object of this invention is to provide a racket or the like of improved shape which will be more eminent in use. A further object is to provide a racket or the like with reinforcements which will prevent warp or twist and which will prevent the racket being pulled out of shape by the strings”
An advert in The Badminton Gazette, February 1937 states -it feels better, it is better, swing it and see. Price 36/- (shillings) with leather grip. Makes the game easier. Perfect balance and pick up. Lightness combined with strength. It gives complete control and effortless “follow through”, due to the streamlined design.However, it was not a popular choice among badminton players and soon went out of fashion – the racket weighs 184 grams, a modern graphite racket weighs approximately 92 grams, few of the badminton rackets have survived. The tennis design was more successful being used by Bunny Austin for some time. It appears far more have survived.
Photo: – Geoff Hinder. Click on images to enlarge
Collection BRAHMS
Collection BRAHMS
————————————————————————–
This type of racket and many more can be seen at the National Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA
Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – the National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.
National Badminton Centre
Lodge Hotel
For more information and to book a room go to: – Badminton England website – https://www.badmintonengland.co.uk – National Badminton Centre – National Badminton Centre Hotel.
————————————————————————-
If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the National Badminton Museum please contact us at: –
museum@badmintonengland.co.uk
Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the National Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.
