Badminton Tour ONG ENG HONG

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28606, 7 June 1958, Page 5

Badminton Tour

ONG ENG HONG

The Malayan students’ badminton team, which ended its threeweek tour of New Zealand thia week, has left a great impression * upon the thousands of people in this country who saw them play. During their short stay, they played in 17 different towns and bities, in as many days. Although they felt the strain of travelling and play, they pleased the crowds with their competitive and exhibition matches to the end. As far as their playing record was concerned, they lost only one of their 21 matches, this being against Southland. However, it was the weaker section of the touring team which played in Invercargill, and its strength was on that occasion further depleted by air-sickness. Inferior

As a team, the Malayans were inferior to the Indonesian side which played in Invercargill last year. However, the top player, Ong Eng Hong, could be rated above any of the Indonesians in skill. His matches in New Zealand against J. E. Robson, A. M. Stephens and. in the last fixture, against Lin Ah Shin, gave spectators an idea of the play of the top Malayan exponents. Ong was -chosen to practise with a view to inclusion in the Malayan team which is to defend the international Thomas Cup next week in Singapore. The tour as a whole will have given great impetus to the game in New Zealand. Table tennis in smaller centres profited immensely from the tour of the Japanese world champions last season, where they appeared in many smaller towns. The effect of this strenuous badminton tour should be similar, as many players and enthusiasts have seen a standard of play with which they were previously unfamiliar. Encouraging There were some encouraging performances against the visitors. A. M. Stephens’s feat in taking a set from Ong in the match against Waikato promises well for the future On this occasion Stephens showed himself to be better in net play, although the Australian champion’s skill in placement of clearing shots eventually won him the match. Ong’s speed of foot, his powerful clearing shots and his fast smashes were an object-lesson to all players in New Zealand, and it may be expected that the standard of play in this country will ‘benefit accordingly.