First there was the EMMANUEL CHURCH BADMINTON CLUB, open to members of the Emmanuel Church only.
The church (and hall) was situated in the Burgage.
During the war years several of the members (including Ted Barnett) were called up to the Forces, and the club was much depleted.
At that time there were many requests from locally stationed Services Personnel about joining. In Easter 1942 in an effort to bolster the declining membership, the club threw their doors open (so to speak) to Services Personnel and 'others'.

This now 'open' club survived into the late forties/early fifties? until the church was DEMOLISHED! …………. …………. …………… THE END!

In Phoenix's archives there is a whole volume of items on the original 'EMMANUEL' Club.
This mainly covers the period 1940-1942 .

The volume contains lots of interesting information -
Emmanuel's hall was part of the church ???and they frequently played matches against other local Clubs.
There are some 'old' Match Sheets showing they played:
the Tern Club at the Parish Room (1940) against Grosvenor at the 'Elephant & Castle Room'(1940)??? and Grosvenor again at the Parish Room (1941) and the Haddon Club at the Armoury????(1941)
There is also a picture circa 1956 of the …….'new' Phoenix Badminton Club ……started in 1956 and so named because it " rose from the ashes!"# (of the old Emmanuel club)
The name was suggested by Arthur Hassell at the inaugural meeting of the new club.
Prominent in the picture is Eric Claydon, brother of our present treasurer Roy Claydon.

# This 'rising from the ashes' seems to have generated a myth about the Church burning down. Roy is of the opinion that the Church which was in the Burgage was pulled down in the fifties!

(Tony Hall)

The Phoenix Badminton Club of Market Drayton's History