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History
Singapore Badminton Association was founded in
1929. It has since grown from strength to strength.
Today it has a home of its own and a following
of several thousand badminton enthusiasts Before
the last war, our badminton players like E J Vass,
Koh Keng Siang, Leow Kim Fatt, Tan Chong Tee and
S A Durai played well in inter-national tournaments
of nearby countries like India.
Of the ladies, Mrs Alice Pennefather was outstanding.
She was Singapore and Malayan champion for many
years. Others like Y Yasuda, Chionh Hoik Chor
& Helen Heng were also brilliant.
But it was after the war when we struck gold.
In 1948, preparations were made were made for
Malaya (including Singapore) to compete for the
first time in the Thomas Cup to be held in 1949.
At that time, all matches organised by the SBA
were played at the Clerical Union Hall (one court),
where conditions were far from being ideal, the
ceilings being too low and the lighting insufficient.
Players had to be content with practices mostly
in open-air courts.
In November 1948, when the Thomas Cup team made
their final preparations by playing at the HAPPY
WORLD covered stadium, the Malaya Tribune voiced
the strong opinion that Singapore should have
its own badminton hall.
In 1949, the then Malayan Thomas Cup team, which
included Wong Peng Soon and Ong Poh Lim, was led
by Mr Lim Chuan Geok. They went to England as
the underdogs and against all expectations, beat
Denmark in the finals by a spectacular 8-1.
The cry to get our own hall became stronger and
stronger after the Thomas Cup victory. A fund
for building the hall was finally launched by
Mr John Laycock after a ceremony welcoming the
victorious Thomas Cup team at the Victoria Memorial
Hall on 30th May 1949. Mr John Laycock donated
the first $1,000 and spoke very strongly for the
need of building a hall with a capacity of 5,000
to 6,000. The objective of building the hall was
for it to be venue of the Thomas Cup finals in
1952.
In February 1951, Guillemard Road was the site
chosen for the new "old" hall. The estimated
cost then was $200,000/- to $250,000/- but the
eventual cost rose to $800,000. Donations then
totalled $32,000, a collection far below the required
amount. Mr Aw Boon Haw, then Patron of the SBA,
came to the rescue with a loan of $250,000/-.
Owing to disagreements in the Management Committee,
a new Badminton Hall Committee was formed headed
by Mr Tan Ark Sye. Despite this funds were still
short by over $400,000. Nevertheless, Mr Lim Chuan
Geok pressed ahead with the construction and the
main contractor, C H Tong, generously assisted
by commencing work.
The hall became a reality in 1952, but not after
overcoming many problems and leaving the Association
very much in the "red". The Association
could not pay. The ultimate outcome was the surrender
of the hall to the Singapore Sports Council which
took over the debts.
Malaya's defence of the Thomas Cup did take place
in that hall in 1952. With Wong Peng Soon, Ong
Poh Lim and Ismail Marjan in the team, they defeated
America 7-2.
The Thomas Cup finals in 1955 and 1958 were again
held in the old hall.
The 1955 team was led by Wong Peng Soon and included
Ong Poh Lim as well. Mr Leow Kim Fatt was the
coach. The team beat Denmark 8-1.
1958 saw the end of our Thomas Cup glory, when
we went down 3-6 to Indonesia.
Individually, Wong Peng Soon, Ong Poh Lim and
Ismail Marjan, have won numerous championships.
Wong Peng Soon was the All England Champion in
1950, 1951, 1952 and won the trophy outright,
and then again in 1955 at the ripe age of 38.
Ong Poh Lim and Ismail Marjan won the All England
doubles title a number of times. During their
prime, they too excelled exceptionally by capturing
almost all doubles titles in the world.
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