Major Badminton Award for Stewart Hague
March 27, 2010
Many members will know of club President Stewart Hague’s other sporting persona; not only has he served Nottinghamshire cricket as an outstanding umpire and administrator for many years, he has also been very heavily involved in the game of Badminton at the highest levels. His efforts and dedication to that sport were recognised last week as he was presented with The English Badminton Award for long standing exceptional service to badminton in England. The presentation took place during Finals Day at the Nottinghamshire Open Badminton Tournament. He was nominated for the award by the Badminton Umpires Association of England.
Stewart’s career in Badminton started in the late 60’s as a probationer umpire and he became a fully-fledged official in 1971; he quickly gained the respect of players and fellow umpires and was selected to his first final at the All England Championships at Wembley the following year. At the age of 27 he was the youngest Englishman to manage a final, a record that he still holds.
Later appointments followed including the European Championships and in 1983, the World Championships in Denmark; he was also selected as one of the first seven International Umpires in the World. More major championships followed including the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh 1986 and Auckland 1990. The pinnacle of his umpiring career came when he was selected to officiate at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and service judged the womens doubles final.
Stewart’s achievements did not cease on retirement from umpiring in 1996; he then took up refereeing tournaments a role which he still undertakes. He has officiated at the All England Seniors for 11 of the last 12 years.
Club Chairman Mark Oldham commented “Stewart is one of those guys who represent all that is best in recreational sport and the club and Nottinghamshire cricket in general is the better for his continuing efforts and support. This award clearly demonstrates his excellent record of achievement and commitment to badminton.
“On behalf of the committee and members of Plumtree Cricket Club, I would like to record our hearty congratulations to Stewart on this achievement. We are very lucky to have him as our President.”
