• 147 countries are members of the IBF( International Badminton Federation)

• The world's fastest racket sport: a shuttle can leave the racket at a speed of almost 200 mph.

• A badminton player can cover more than one mile in just one match.

• A shuttlecock weighs between 4.74 and 5.50 grams.

• The best shuttles are made from the feathers from the left wing of a goose.

• 16 feathers are used to make a shuttle.

• The biggest shuttle in the world can be found on the lawns of the Kansas City Museum 48 times larger than the real thing, 18 feet tall and weighing 5000 pounds.

• The Thomas Cup, the men's world team championships, has been won by only three countries since it began in 1948 - Malaysia, Indonesia and China.

• The only time the Uber Cup, the women's world team championships, was won outside Asia was by the USA in 1957, 1960 and 1963; other holders are China, Indonesia and Japan.

• It is an American, Judy Hashman, who holds the record number of All-England titles 17 in total.

• The first US championships in Chicago in 1937 were played on 21 courts.

• Famous personalities who play badminton include Paul Newman, Diego Maradonna and Nick Faldo.

• Badminton's history dates back to Ancient Greece and the early Far-Eastern civilisations; versions of the game, sometimes using a foot instead of a racket, have been depicted on pottery around 3000 years ago, in China.

• Badminton's first Olympics was in 1992.

• More than 1.1 billion people watched badminton's Olympic debut on TV.

• The two most successful badminton countries are China and Indonesia which between them have won 70% of all IBF events.

So now you know!

Its many years since I played Badminton at any level. Never mind the pressure cooker environment of this club night. Fifteen athletes turned up. The last was Jon Barnes who rescued Connie and her hip from further punishment, partnering Mary Cox against all comers.

I had the energetic Elizabeth Maitland. A Madonna of the court. She seemed to be every where at once. Occasionally in my way when I launched another desperately mistimed return at the net.

The winners on the night were