Badminton Match Against Otago Today

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28346, 3 August 1957, Page 5

Badminton Match Against Otago Today

CANTERBURY’S first division badminton team will play its second match of the season when it meets Otago, at Christchurch, today. Earlier Canterbury beat North Otago by 14 matches to 2. The last match in the South Island section will be against Southland at Invercargill next Saturday. The Canterbury team will be the same as that which beat North Otago, although some of the players have changed their positions. In the men’s team, D. B. Reid (Christchurch) has moved from fourth to second place. The top player is still R. K. Macefield (Christchurch). The two other men players are A. Ghani (University) and A. G. Duckmanton, (Christchurch).

The only changes in position in the women’s team are that Miss G. R. Hopkinson (University) has moved from second to first place, and Miss C. G. Swift (University) has dropped from third to fourth position. The other two players are Misses B. Webster (Knox) and A. Snow (Christchurch). The only player unavailable is R. G. Pattinson (Knox).

Once again the Canterbury team should benefit from having been chosen from only three interclub teams. Several doubles com-

binations will be experienced ones. These include Macefield and Reid in the men’s doubles, and the University pair in the women’s doubles. Both these pairs have come through the season undefeated in inter-club matches.

1 Otago is certain to be sending up a very strong team, and will be much more difficult to beat than North Otago. The team will be led by the present New Zealand champion, A. L. Scott. Scott, who was not available for selection for the team which returned I from Australia this week, will be tested by Macefield, who has shown good form in recent weeks. Supporting Scott will be R. Reid, ranked sixth in New Zealand, and runner-up with Scott in last year’s national men’s doubles championship. Reid was named as an emergency for the team to tour Australia. Another probable member of the Otago team is M. Richards}, who beat Reid in an inter-club match last week in Dunedin. An intereating-match should result from tfiH fneeting . of Miss Hopkinson M&th the top. Otago woman, Hay. Mrs Hay, ranked fifth In the national listings, was a Reserve for the latest New Zealand team. Miss Hopkinson was not invited to take part in the trials for the national team but, after h£r good performance in Oamaru, she must be conceded a chance of winning this match. The other women are expected to win their matches, and the final result will probably depend on the mixed doubles. Experience has shown that these are dominated by the men, and Canterbury’s task will be a difficult one there.