Because, historically, "Ball Badminton" seems to be inextricably linked to that of "Shuttlecock Badminton" it is necessary to refer to it's early history, in so far as it is known.
Ball Badminton, which is older than it's shuttlecock counterpart, is still played in various parts of India today. Originally it had an Indian name but early on, exactly when is not known, the name was changed, no doubt to distinguish it from the very similar game of Badminton which is played the world over today.
Very few early contemporary printed records for the game are known , but in 1984 two histories appeared in souvenir brochures.
One from K. Bala Showrayya, [KBS] Director of Education, Noble College was published by the Delhi Ball Badminton Association, whilst the other by G.V. Nair, [GVN] General Secretary of the Ball Badminton Federation of India was published by the Bihar State Ball Badminton Association.
By quoting from these two histories it is hoped to shed some light on the early days of Badminton as seen through the eyes of two Indian historians.
N.B. Notwithstanding this statement there are a couple of items which give us an insight into the early days of the game.
Firstly there is a Ball Badminton photograph which is thought to have been taken around 1870 in the early days of photography. It depicts an outdoor scene in Madras, India. In it a long Badminton net is secured to palm trees. Two teams of players holding strung racquets (four ladies wearing long dresses with bustles and four gentlemen in neat suits) are facing each other across the net. With one exception, all of the people in the picture have frozen in various poses for the photographer. The exception is a little girl sitting on a chair in the right foreground. She is just a blur. On the ground at the foot of the chair is a ball which appears to be no larger than a lawn tennis ball. Another is just visible, to the trained eye, in the centre of the court to the left of a bearded gentleman, while a player, in white, to the right of the back of the picture is holding a ball in his left hand. To me this is an indication that that either Ball Badminton is being played or alternatively Badminton is being played with a ball rather a shuttlecock. This subtle difference is explained in the "Badminton" page in the section headed: Is "Ball Badminton" the same as Badminton played with a ball?"
Secondly, a letter printed in "The Field" magazine dated 22nd June, 1907 which, although not contemporary with the earliest beginnings of the game, is certainly well remembered by the writer.
It is a long letter so I have extracted only that part which deals with the construction of the ball and omitted the detailed description of the rules and method of play. This is because I wish to compare later the balls used in Ball Badminton with those used for a limited period in Shuttlecock Badminton.
"Sir, - Shuttlecock badminton in small courts has become so popular in England as a winter game under cover that I am hoping the Indian game of ball badminton in large courts outside may soon be introduced as a summer game. A few words about the game in your valuable paper may greatly aid in this direction."
" As to the ball I may mention that the so-called badminton balls sold at the stores and in shops [i.e. in England] are quite worthless; they will not fly to the end of the court. A good ball should not only fly easily to the end of the court, but be easily hit out. These balls are in India made by ladies, on two round cards cut to the size of the rim of a sherry glass with a circular hole in the middle of the size of a sixpence; the Berlin wool is then wound round and round till it can no longer pass through the centre hole; the wool is then cut all round, and a long piece of whipcord inserted between the cards; this has to be drawn very tight , and doubly knotted, wound round again several times, and knotted again several times; this gives weight to the centre of the ball, which has then to be clipped with a sharp scissors till it has a circumference of only 6. 5/8in."
"The game is such an excellent one that I am quite sure it will some day become very popular. Your insertion of this letter, will I think, hasten that day."
"K.H. BEDDOME, Colonel (late) Indian Army. Sispara, West Hill , Putney Heath."
The earliest known illustration of a game of Badminton in progress appeared in the Graphic Magazine on April 25, 1874. Alongside it is a brief description of the game contributed by an Indian correspondent. Embedded in it is the following sentence: "Battledoors and shuttlecocks are generally used, but in windy weather racket bats and a woollen ball are substituted."
The reference to windy weather gives the clue as to why the game is not played universally all over India. Ball Badminton is, essentially, an outdoor sport played in good light and as such is very much at the mercy of the weather. Just as in England, rain will stop play in a cricket match or a lawn tennis tournament, so it will affect play in a game of Ball Badminton.
But Ball Badminton has another hazard - the wind. Although KBS says that the reason India plays with a ball is because "shuttlecocks were not within the reach of common man" another reason is that the yellow woollen balls are more suited to outdoor play than shuttlecocks. But India is a huge sub-continent and as such weather can vary in different parts of the country. For this reason the North Eastern and other parts of India which. rely on light breezes and rain do not normally play the game. This means that Ball Badminton is confined to areas of the country which have a stable windless climate.
That is the end of the historical look at the indigenous Indian game of "Ball Badminton" but before we leave the subject we have to consider the following question: