Table Tennis N.Z. Women's Team Elated By Australian Successes

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28425, 4 November 1957, Page 18

Table Tennis N.Z. Women's Team Elated By Australian Successes

(Aiew ZeatUTia Press Association>

AUCKLAND. November 3. Elated by their success on a 10week Australian tour, the two Auckland members of the New Zealand women's table tennis team arrived at Whenuapai by air yesterday. They were the New Zealand doubles champions, Miss Margaret Hoar and Miss Barbara Packwood. The other member, who has returned on a different flight to Otago, was Mrs June Magorian. Mrs Gwen Buckler, the manager, also returned yesterday. An all-New Zealand final was probably averted in the Australian singles championship when Misses Packwood and Hoar were placed in the same half of the tourney. This resulted in Miss Packwood’s only competition defeat on tour. Miss Hoar went on to win the title and. paired with Miss Packwood, the doubles championship also. In their other games, the New Zealanders defeated Hobart 11-0. Victoria 10-1. Brisbane 9-2. and South Australia 7-1. This last game was called off uncompleted. What rather rankled the New' Zealanders w’as the fact that they were not seeded in the Australian championships, although this would certainly be remedied if they return, as they hope, to Australia again next year. The other was the cancellation of the two test matches that were to be played after the national championships. “If we had played the tests beforehand, we may have got

them." said Miss Packwood. after we had played, the Australian association suddenly announced its women were not available, and that was that."

Crammed with a pile of luggag« into Mrs Buckler's medium-sized car' the quartet travelled between 6000 and 7000 miles for the 18-20 games each the players faced. In the country areas, where the women's opposition was not so strong, thev often had to play men as well.

Mrs Buckler said Miss Packwood who is a left-hander as well as a sponge exnert. earned high regard for her ability.

A number of Hungarians and other new 7 Australians who saw the girls, frankly observed that Miss Hoar was in world class as a defensive player