Edwin Joseph Vass, (1905 – 3 October 1980) was a Singaporean badminton player who reigned supreme in Singapore and Malaya from the 1920s to the mid-1930s. He was regarded as one of Singapore's badminton pioneers and the nation first high-level badminton champion. Known for his courtcraft, mastery of strokes and precise shot placement, he won the Singapore Open singles title five times (including four in succession) and remained unbeaten in that event up until his retirement. Vass's rivals during his active playing career were See Gim Hock and Selangor's A. S. Samuel, a semi-finalist at the All England in 1939. Early life Vass, who was of Eurasian descent, was born in Singapore in 1905. He received his education at St. Joseph's Institution before joining the civil service as a financial assistant in the Singapore Police Department. He was an all-around sportsman, participating in various sporting events such as athletics, badminton, billiards, and table tennis. Despite his versatility, it was in badminton, a game that he picked up when he was 21 where he achieved the most success. Badminton career Vass's career in badminton started when he joined the Diehard Badminton Party, a badminton club founded by the Eurasians in 1926. He quickly rose to become the club's captain and best player. In 1928, he took part in an unofficial open championship organised by the Amateur Sporting Association, where he emerged victorious after defeating See Gim Hock in the final, 18–17, 7–15, 15–10. Following the formation of Singapore's first badminton governing body, the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) in 1929, Vass participated in the inaugural Singapore Open championship and triumphed over See Gim Hock in straight games with a score of 15–11, 15–10, making him the first official badminton champion in the country. In 1930, Vass successfully defended his Singapore Open men's singles title, defeating See Gim Hock in a closely contested match that went to three sets. Vass won the match 15–11, 12–15, 15–13 to secure his second consecutive men's singles championship. In the inter-state tournament of 1931, Vass was a member of the Singapore team that won against Selangor and Penang with scorelines of 3–2 respectively. He won all of his singles matches in the triangular tournament, beating A. S. Samuel, the champion of Selangor, 18–13, 15–7, as well as Penang's Lieuw Ah Foo 17–16, 15–6. In July of the same year, Vass continued his dominance over his peers by