As the 2022/ 2023 season came to an end, we reflected on the successes of the club both on and off court. The legacy of COVID-19 was felt by many badminton clubs, and Malvern Hills was no exception. Between 2020-2022 we lost many beloved members due to financial hardship, job opportunities and family responsibilities resulting in a much diminished membership. The 2022/ 2023 season, however, saw many new faces join the club throughout the year about which we were absolutely delighted! A few magical moments throughout the year sum up a fun, inclusive, community-centred club.

Ladies Pre-Season Dinner 2022

The first social of the 2022/2023 season saw the ladies celebrate the first time there’s been a stronger representation of female members than male at the club (at least in current members’ memories!), and excitement for a season with a depth of talent to choose from. Highlights of the night included acknowledgement of secretary Faye Dearden’s excellent courgette related AGM minutes, and the unofficial prize-giving of Most Valuable Member (Pauline Cundy) and the Barbara Gibson Women’s Trophy (Gill Ashen). Though camera shy, both women are both hugely appreciated. Great company and great food were signs of a great season to come!

Promotion in Gloucestershire Leagues

The wonderful addition of new faces to the club saw with it new members of the Ladies and Mixed competitive teams playing in the Ladies 2 and Mixed 3 Leagues respectively. Both teams were successful gaining promotion to Ladies 1 and Mixed 2, and are excited (if somewhat terrified!) for the challenges of a higher division.

Huge congratulations to all players who represented these teams – particularly those who had never played a competitive match before!

Members that represented the club were; Gill Ashen (Ladies captain and mixed player); Emma Richardson (ladies and mixed); Julie Bigford (ladies and mixed); Sophia Pelusi (ladies and mixed); Sarah Edwards (ladies and mixed); Faye Dearden (ladies and mixed); Eve Horne (ladies and mixed); Tom Fairman (Mixed captain); Tom Edwards (mixed); Ben Hunt (mixed); Dave Hickson (mixed); John Powell (mixed).

Pub Quiz Victory and Club Dinner

A spontaneous venture into pub quizdom turned into a most fruitful venture for Malvern Hills at the club summer dinner. Over 20 members of the club arrived to eat and chat in ‘proper clothes’ at the Bluebell Inn, unbeknownst that this was the pub’s quiz night. Three teams from the badminton crew entered, and one was victorious – much to the annoyance of quiz regulars!

Izzy Bizzy Let’s Get Quizzy pulled together their mutual knowledge of chemistry, sport, literature and history to come 1st, and be in with a chance to win £60! The luck of that Thursday night continued as team member Emma Richardson successfully selected the envelope that contained £60 as the winnings for her team. The winnings were added to Malvern Hills account, but the novelty clock was claimed by Faye Dearden. More quiz nights for the next season? You bet!

Club Competition

As the season drew to a close it’s tradition, Malvern Hills host its traditional fun (emphasis on this word!) club competition. This was wonderfully led (as always) by Julie Bigford who sacrificed her participation to play organiser. The event was won by Dave and Chloe with close runners up Gill and Steven. Fun was had by all, but especially Dave and Chloe who have bragging rights for the rest of the year.

Club AGM and Prize Giving

Not often an AGM will make it into a ‘highlights’ of the year but Malvern Hills know how to do this fast! After 25 years of service on the Malvern Hills committee, Julie Bigford chaired her final (famous last words) AGM and will be enjoying the 23/24 season as a ‘regular’ member. Minutes were passed (courgette related of course), financial reports were received, and then the fun bit of prize giving could begin.

Malvern Hills has two prizes that are awarded each year: 1) Most Valuable Member and 2) Barbara Gibson Women’s Trophy. We recognise there is a gender disparity so if any man is wanting a trophy named after him to give to men’s player of the year please add this to our awards! The Most Valuable Member was awarded to Tom Fairman. Tom has been a ray of sunshine and volunteering awesomeness having only joined the club this year. As well as an excellent player, Tom volunteered to captain the Mixed team and did so with clarity, fairness and good humour leading the team to the top of the division. He has since volunteered to be club chair for the 23/24 season, and we could not be in better hands!

The Barbara Gibson Women’s Trophy went to Eve Horne. Another ray of sunshine to the club, this was Eve’s first season with Malvern having played for a few years at a Saturday morning ladies group run by Barbara. Her improvement throughout the year has been tremendous, and she represented the club in Mixed and Ladies for her first competitive experience, and did so admirably. More importantly, Eve’s smile and friendly demeanour adds a huge amount to every Thursday night and she is a joy to have as a member.

Two final acknowledgements were distributed to long standing, hard working and devoted Malvern Hills members. Julie Bigford was finally allowed to step down from a committee position after 1/4 of a century and thanked for her tireless commitment to the club. Pauline Cundy (without whom the club could not function!) was made an honorary member, meaning that she has a lifetime membership…and is never allowed to leave. An excellent night of badminton was then played, with optimistic and excited thoughts for the season ahead.