Roger J Mills (1942–2020)[1] was a former English international badminton player[2] and coach.
| Roger J Mills | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 March 1942 Battersea, Greater London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 16 October 2020 (aged 78) Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | England National Coach Senior & Junior | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Badminton career edit
Mills won 9 English National titles, Singles three years running, 1965, 1966, and 1967, Men's Doubles 1967 and 1970 plus Mixed Doubles 1965, 1968, 1969 and 1971. Roger was a Winston Churchill Fellow which he gained in 1974 for his contribution to badminton. https://www.wcmt.org.uk/users/roger-jmills1974
He won the 1969 All England Badminton Championships in mixed doubles with Gillian Perrin when this tournament was considered the sport's premier event (aside from the international team world championships, Thomas Cup and Uber Cup).[3]
Mills competed in the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica winning the gold medal, in the mixed doubles with Angela Bairstow and a bronze medal, in the men's doubles with David Horton. Four years later he won a silver medal, in the mixed doubles with Perrin at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.[4][5][6]
He represented Surrey and spent many of his years coaching in Surrey, most notably at Guildford University and at the Wimbledon Squash and Badminton Centre.
After his playing career, Roger continued his love of the sport of Badminton by becoming one of the leading coaches in the country where he took the position of Senior English National Coach before moving his focus to the development of youth badminton. In addition, Roger was the Part-Time Scottish National Coach in 1976 until 1980 where he provided new age coaching techniques to a generation of Scottish Badminton champions.
Roger's coaching and dedication to Badminton resulted in the development of many Champions at all ages and levels.
Roger has written and published a number of books on badminton and is a Winston Churchill Fellowship.
All England Badminton Championships edit
| Year | Event | Event | Partner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | All England Badminton Championships | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin | Winner |
| 1970 | All England Badminton Championships | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin | Semi-Finals |
Commonwealth Games edit
| Year | Event | Partner | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Commonwealth Games | Mixed Doubles | Angela Bairstow | Gold |
| 1966 | Commonwealth Games | Men's Doubles | David Horton | Bronze |
| Year | Event | Partner | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Commonwealth Games | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin. | Silver |
English National Badminton Championships edit
| Year | Title | Event | Partner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | English Nationals | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1965 | English Nationals | Mixed Doubles | Margaret Barrand | Winner |
| 1966 | English Nationals. | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1967 | English Nationals | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1967 | English Nationals. | Men's Doubles | David Horton | Winner |
| 1968 | English Nationals | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin | Winner |
| 1969 | English Nationals | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin | Winner |
| 1970 | English Nationals | Men's Doubles | Tony Jordan | Winner |
Juniors
| Year | Title | Event | Partner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | English National Juniors | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1958 | English National Juniors | Mixed Doubles | M. K. Bishop | Winner |
| 1959 | English National Juniors | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1959 | English National Juniors | Men's Doubles | D. J. Minton | Winner |
| 1959 | English National Juniors | Mixed Doubles | Angela Bairstow | Winner |
| 1960 | English National Juniors | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1960 | English National Juniors | Men's Doubles | D. J. Minton | Winner |
| 1960 | English National Juniors | Mixed Doubles | Angela Bairstow | Winner |
Open Badminton Championships edit
| Year | Title | Event | Partner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Austrian Open. | Mixed Doubles | Michael Rawlings | Winner |
| 1965 | Irish Open | Men's Doubles | David Horton | Winner |
| 1966 | Scottish Open | Men's Doubles | David Horton | Winner |
| 1967 | Irish Open | Men's Doubles | David Horton | Winner |
| 1967 | Irish Open | Mixed Doubles | Iris Rogers | Winner |
| 1967 | Welsh Open | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1967 | Welsh Open | Men's Doubles | Robert S. McCoig | Winner |
| 1967 | Canadian Open | Men's Doubles | Colin Beacom | Winner |
| 1967 | Canadian Open | Mixed Doubles | Sharon Whitacker | Winner |
| 1968 | Welsh Open | Men's Singles | n/a | Winner |
| 1968 | Welsh Open | Mixed Singles | Julie Charles | Winner |
| 1968 | Welsh Open | Men's Doubles | J. G. Pearson | Winner |
| 1968 | European Championships | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Perrin | Runner Up |
| 1968 | Swedish Open | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Gilks | Winner |
| 1969 | Scottish Open | Mixed Doubles | Susan Whetnall | Winner |
| 1970 | Scottish Open | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Gilks | Winner |
| 1971 | Scottish Open | Mixed Doubles | Gillian Gilks | Winner |
Winston Churchill Fellow edit
The Fellowship was created by public subscription in 1965 as the living legacy of Sir Winston Churchill. ‘We are empowering individuals to learn from the world, for the benefit of the UK. Today this idea is more valuable than ever’.
Roger was awarded the Winston Churchill Fellowship for his overseas research on Badminton in China.
| Award | Year | Category | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston Churchill Fellowship[7] | 1974 | Adventure, Sport & Exploration | Coaching of badminton |
Published Books edit
| Author | Name | Publisher | Year | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Mills & Eric Butler | Modern Badminton | Stanley Paul | 1966 | 1547628077MEP | |
| Roger Mills | Tackle Badminton | Stanley Paul | 1974 | ISBN 9780091192204 | |
| Roger Mills | Tackle Badminton | Hutchinson | 1977 | ISBN 9780091290214 | |
| Roger Mills | Badminton | EP Sport | 1977 | ISBN 978-0715805596 | |
| Roger Mills | Badminton | Sterling | 1980 | ISBN 978-0715805954 | |
| Roger Mills | Pocket Guide To Badminton Tactics | Bell & Hyman | 1985 | ISBN 9780713525410 |
References edit
- ^ "WATTANASIN WINS LANCASHIRE OPEN SINGLES". The Singapore Free Press 5 December 1961.
- ^ "History". All England Badminton.
- ^ Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian. The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 74-78. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
- ^ "profile". Commonwealth Games Federation.
- ^ "1970 Athletes". Team England.
- ^ "Edinburgh, 1970 Team". Team England.
- ^ "roger j.mills.1974 | Winston Churchill Memorial Trust". www.wcmt.org.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2020.