Table Tennis Armstrong And Mrs May Win

Press, Volume C, Issue 29478, 3 April 1961, Page 7

Table Tennis Armstrong And Mrs May Win

J. Armstrong i Eagles) •nd Mrs T. May (Selwyn) won the singles events when the Canterbury Table Tennis Association held its first Easter Open Tournament on Saturday. The tournament was a most successful experiment, with players from Dunedin. Nelson, and Marlborough taking part, together with the best local town and country players. Credit must go to the winners of these events at the end of a very strenuous day s piay. but credit should also go to the runners-up. N. B Radford and Miss Y Hart, for gaining places in the finals. They beat more favoured players in T R D Flint and Mrs J Shadbolt i espectively in their semifinal matches. The men’s singles final between Armstrong and Radford was one of great thrills, and rivalled the South Island final of last season between Armstrong and B A Foster in that respect. Radford had chances but. as on many previous occasions, he found Armstrong a very hard opponent. These players practice together often, and their match followed a familiar pattern. Radford waited for the right ball to hit, and Armstrong made it his business to see that Radford received no such chances. As the score indicated. Radford was in good hitting form, but he must have been dissatisfied with the number of comparatively easy hits which he missed On many occasions he hit a fine shot which Armstrong could only return high, but Radford hit his second drive into the Radford won a closely-con-tested first game, and took the second after a struggle The concluding rally of the second game was a very fine one, with Armstrong returning two very hard forehand drives, then one backhand drive, before Radford hit a terrific winner off his next backhand. Radford had his chances in the third game, in which he led 18-17. and in the fourth where he led 17-15 and 19-18 after Armstrong had taken a big lead at the start. From 12-alI in the final game Armstrong went to 17-12. and Radford could not win back these points. Semi-final In beating Flint in his semifinal. Radford showed the benefit of playing throughout the summer. The left-handed Flint needs a lot more practice to leach his best form. Had he won the third game, in which he had several chances. Flint may have made Radford struggle to win Two seeded players, M A. Cox (sixth* and J. A. Dow it *eighth i, were eliminated in early rounds. Cox went out to the veteran D V. Fisher, at 222) in the fifth game of their second-round match, and Dowie ost to the promising junior. D Kalm i Dallington i. Another meritorious win was that of J Taylor (Marlborough* over K J. Cassidy, in another long five-game match. While Radford has had his previous wins over Flint, the surprise of the tournament was

undoubtedly the defeat of Mrs Shadbolt, top seed in the womens singles, by Miss Hart. Mrs Shadbolt is a nationallyranked player, but Miss Hart played for Canterbury for the first time only last season. It js obvious that she will be one of the province’s main hopes this year. The holder of the under-21 title from the junior tournament on the previous Saturday. Miss Hart has a very steady cefence and the ability to hit a winner off her forehand at any time. In the last seasen *he has steadied her play down quite a lot. and has shown the benetits of representative experience. Her win on Saturday evening was more meritorious when it is considered that she played an inter-dub teams match in the afternoon. Mrs May beat the former national champion. Mrs P. Furdon. in her semi-final, but Mrs Furdon show’ed that, if she in-

tends to return to the game, it will not be long before she can regain her place at the head of the Canterbury team. The final was a very close match, with Mrs May hitting some decisive winners. Mrs Purdon's defeat of the wellperformed Marlborough junior. Miss M. McKay, and Miss Hart's win over Miss A Eden, the top Nelson p ayer, were other features of this section. Flint and B D. P Williamson took the men’s doubles after a struggle with Armstrong and D Fisher in the final. This was a dour match. In an earlier round the winning pair had to recover from two games down against Taylor and Holt Mesdames May ana Shadbolt won the women’s doubles, beating Mrs Puraon and Miss D Bates in the final Armstrong and Mrs Shadbo’.t took the mixed doubles with an easy final win over R G Hart and Miss Eden Partners for this event were drawn by lot. and it was only by chance that Armstrong was drawn to partner Mrs Shadbo’.t. with whom he has played for many seasons. The winners had a harder semi-final match against Wiliiamson and Miss Bates. An early surprise in the mixed doubles was the elimination of Cox and Mrs May by R Morris I Marlborough* and Miss Hart Results were:— MEN’S SINGLES First Round —J. Tax ‘or beat C. B. Lockhart. 16-21. 21-12. 21-15. 21-16. Second Round.—J. Armstrong beat S Taylor. 21-0. 21-0, 21-3; J- Letticot beat R Inns. 21-19. 21-15. 21-12, D. J. Kalin beat R Anderson. 21-14. 14-21. 21-9. 21-18; J. A. Dowie beat C. A Clarke. 21-9. 21-6. 21-10; B D P Williamson beat A Alabaster. 21-8. 21-14. 21-12; R L Hulston beat M. Boulton. 21-9. 21- 21-8; J Taylor beat K. J Cassidy. 23-21 21-16. 17-21. 17-21, 21-13: D D M. Stewart beat B Heseltine. 21-16. 21-13. 22- N. B. Radford beat H. P. Holt. 21-11. 21-17. 21-19; A Swanson beat A. Watt by default; D. V. Fisher beat R. Morris. 21-18. 21-11. 25-27, 21-7; M A Ct>x beat R J Scott. 21-17. 21-17. 21-19: R J. Hast beat D Winstanley. 21-17. 21-16. 21-14; E. G Kendall beat J Anderson. 21-14. 21-13. 21-18: R B McCallum beat N. C. O'Brien. 22-24 21-12. 21-14 24-22 T R. D Flint beat A. Ward. 21-9. 21-13. 21-3. Third Round—Armstrong beat Lettiott. 21-8. 21-5. 24-11; Kalin beat Dowie. 24-22. 21-16 20-22. Williamson beat Hulstom 21-19. 21-13. 21-12; Stewart beat Taylor. 22-24 21-13. 21-12, 26-24; Radford beat Swanson, 21-7, 21-1?. 21-11; Fisher beat Cox. 21-11. 21-18. 16-21. 20-22. 22-20; Hast beat Kendall, 20-22. 21-16. 21-18. 21-16; Flint beat McCallum. 21-19. 21-14. 21-14. Quarter - finals.—Armstrong beat Kalin. 21-5. 21-3, 21-6; Williamson beat Stewart, 21-19’. -1-18. 21-11; Radford beat Fisher. 22-20. 21-U). 21-16: Flint beat Hart. 21-19. 21-12. 21-14. Semi-finals.—Armstrong beat Williamson. 21-6. 21-6. 21-5* Radford beat Flint, 21-12, 21-14* Final—Armstrong beat Radford. 13-21. 21-23. 21-18. 21-19. WOMEN’S SINGLES First Round.—Miss Y. Hart beat Mrs J. Read. 21-16 21-18 19-21. 21-11. Second Round.—Mrs J. Shadbolt beat Miss D Bates. 21-8 2!-l 21-8; Miss Hart beat Miss A. Eder. 21-5. 21-15. 16-21. 21-10; Mrs P. Put don beat Miss M. McKay. 21-13. 21-7. 21-14: Mrs T May beat Miss R. Nixon 21-11. 21-7. 21-3. -*

Semifinals—Miss Hart beat Mrs Shadbolt. 21-9. 21-17, 21-19-Mrs May beat Mrs Purdon. 21-15. 21-18. 19-21. 21-19. Final— Mrs May beat Miss Hart, 21-19. 15-21. 21-15. 22-20. MENS DOUBLES First Roulnd.—D. J. Kalin and R. Luns beat C. B. Lockhart and S. Taylor. 21-10, 21-14. 21-13 Second Round.—J. Taylor and H. P. Holt beat Kalin and Luns. 21-18. 21-7. 21-7; K. J. Cassidy and A. Alabaster beat R. G. Hart and J. Lelliott. 21-18, 21-12. 21-12: D. D M. Stewart and J. A. Dowie beat R. Anderson and J. Anderson. 21-18. 21- 21-19; J. Armstrong and D. V. Fisher beat A. Swanson and M. Boulton. 17-21, 21-17, 22- 18-21. 21-12; R. L. Hulston and N. C. O’Brien beat B. G. Kendall and B. Heseltine. 21-18. 21-15. 26-24; D Winstanley and R. Morris beat R. J. Scott and A. Watt by default; M. A. Cox and N. B. Radford beat C. A. Clarke and A. Ward, 21-12, 21-8. 21-11.

Third Round.—T. R. D. Flint and B. D. P. Williamson beat Taylor and Holt. 16-21. 19-21. 21-17. 21-14, 21-9; Stewart and Dowie beat Cassidy’ and Alabaster, 21-18. 21-18. 21-14; Armstrong and Fisher beat Hulston

and O’Brien. 21-16. 17-21. 21-16. 21-9: Radford and Cox beat Winstanley and Morris. 21-9, 21-13, 17-21. 19-21. 21-16. Semi-finals.—Flint and Williamson beat Stewart and Dowie. 19-21, 21-11. 21-12, 21-12; Armstrong and Fisher beat Radiord and Cox, 15-21. 21-18. 21-12. 21-18. Final—Flint and Williamson beat Armstrong and Fisher, 20- 22-20, 20-22. 21-18. 1-15. WOMENS DOUBLES First Round. —Misses A Eden and M. McKay beat Mrs V’. Williamson and Miss Y. Hart. 21-12. 21- 21-18. Semi-finals. Mesdames T. May and I. J. Shadbolt beat Misses Eden and McKay, 21-14, 21-7, 21-15; Mrs P. Purdon and Miss D. Bates beat Mrs J. Read and Miss R. Dixon. 21-7, 21-10, 21-8. Final. Mesdames Shadbolt and May beat Mrs Purdon and Miss Bates. 21-19. 21-11. 19-21. 21-11. Mixed Doubles First Round.—D. D. M. Stewart and Mrs J. Read beat A. Alabaster and Miss M. McKay. 21-14. 21-18. 21-15. Second Round.—R. Morris and Miss T. Hart beat M. A. Cox and Mrs T. May. 20-22, 2115, 21-17. 17-21, 21-18; R. G. Hart and Miss A. Eden beat K. J. Cassidy and Mrs P. Purdon. 21-16, 21-13, 21-12; J. Armstrong and Mrs J. Shadbolt beat D. Winstanley and Miss R. Nixon, 21-6. 21-10. 21-7; B. D. P. Williamson and Miss D. Bates beat Stewart and Mrs Read, 19-21. 21-10. 21-12. 21-14. Semi-finals.—Hart and Miss Eden beat Morris and Miss Hart. 19-21, 21-15. 23-21. 21-17; Armstrong and Mrs Shadbolt beat Williamson and Miss Bates. 14-21. 22-24. 21-13, 21-13. 21-18. Final.—Armstrong and Mrs Shadbolt beat Hart and Miss Eden. 21-10. 21-15. 21-9. Men’s Plate Final.—K. J. Cassidy beat R. J. Scott. 21-9. 8-21, 21-9. 14-21. 21-15.