MORE EVEN COMPETITION IN SENIOR BADMINTON

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 12

MORE EVEN COMPETITION IN SENIOR BADMINTON

VVilh seven teams entered in the Canterbury Badminton Association’s A grade competition, the standard of play this year promises to be more even than in the last two seasons. Knox and University have two teams each, and teams have also been entered from the Selwyn, Railway and Christchurch clubs.

The Knox A team, which won the competition last season will be the same. With R. G. Pattinson, A. Roberts, Miss B. Webster and Miss S. Miller, the team has four players who have represented the province in Division I competition. Pattinson and Misses Webster and Miller were members of the province’s top team last season. Miss Miller won the New Zealand mixed doubles title with N. R. Thompson (Southland) last season and Pattinson. a former national representative, has also held this title. The Christchurch team of R. K. Macefield, D. B. Reid, Mrs A. Ryan and Miss E. Reaston, which won the competition in

| 1957, is also the same for this ( season. Macefield, Reid and Mrs | Ryan (formerly Miss A. Snow) | have all been regular members I of the Canterbury team for scvI eral seasons, and Macefield was I ranked on the national ladder in 1957. • Transfer I University, which has finished I third in the competition for the last two seasons, will be fielding two teams of even strength. C. W. i Pritchard has transferred from j Olympic to play for University, i and should strengthen the team. ; Last season Pritchard made a suc- : cessful debut in Division I interprovincial competition, and included among his victories was a defeat of the national junior f titleholder C. Young (Southland). D. A. Henderson, the most promising player from last season, will also be playing again in the University team. E. W. Crofts and

Thng Yong Huat are not avail able.

The University women will be headed by Miss G. Hopkinson the strongest in the competition, and Miss C. Swift. Miss Hopkinson, second on the national ladder, has been top player in the provincial team for the last two seasons. Miss Swift played for Canterbury’s Division I team in 1957, but last season played in Wellington, where she was a member of the University team which won the senior competition there. Duckman+on 0 An interesting addition to the Railways team is A. G. Duckmanton. Duckmanton was a regular member of the provincial side in 1957, but did not play last season. He was formerly a member of the Christchurch club. His return to the sport, together with that of Miss Swift, should strengthen the representative teams considerably. Canterbury’s fixtures this season include a home match against Otago, and matches against Southland and North Otago in Invercargill and Oamaru respectively for the Division I team. Teams will probably also represent the province in the Division II and Division 111 competition, and there is also a possibility of a junior side being sent in Invercargill later in the season for matches there.