Senior Table Tennis Starts Tonight

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30725, 14 April 1965, Page 15

Senior Table Tennis Starts Tonight

1965 senior table - tennis competition will certainly lack the spectacular finish of last season between Selwyn II and Wallabies Red with the retirement of Mrs P. Purdon and T. R. D. Flint from the Selwyn club. Wallabies Red, which has retained its same personnel as last year—N. B. Radford, M. A. Cox, R. J. Scott—seems certain to win this year’s competition, which starts in the Christchurch Poultry Club’s Hall tonight. However, the overall strength of the team will hinge on Cox, who, after giving a good exhibition last year played very poorly in the recent summer competition. Radford and Scott have been playing well and should have little difficulty in winning the majority of their games. With the leadership of N. V. Brightwell, Selwyn I should still prove very strong. The team is made up by Mrs T. May, the present South Island women’s champion, and H. P. Holt, who played last year for Star. Selwyn n retains only R. B. McCallum from last year’s team, which, after an average winter season, gave an excellent performance during the summer competitions. Supporting McCallum is the hard-hitting R. J. Sanderson and M. R. Spinks, who is appearing for the first time in the senior competition. Both Sanderson and Spinks are capable but still lack consistency in their play. Wallabies Green was Ab

placed fourth in last year’s competition, but with K. Cassidy playing for only part of this season the team may have difficulty in retaining this position. R. G. Hart and J. Lelliott will be the backbone of the team, both being very capable and experienced players, and G. R. Saunders, a newcomer, will be playing during the absence of Cassidy. A former Canterbury representative, J. E. Kyle, who has recently returned from Otago, will be reappearing in the senior grade for Linwood. In the same team is N. C. Orr, who played last year for Linwood, and G. W. Mackinson, formerly of Star. J. 0. Moen, who has been featured often in the summer competition, has also been included in the Linwood team. The Canterbury closed champion, J. Armstrong, will once again be playing for Eagles with Mrs M. J. Shadbolt and D. V. Fisher. Armstrong has not been seen in action since last year but he is expected to return rapidly to form. The team’s strength will depend largely on Mrs Shadbolt, who had a comparatively poor season last year after her successes of the 1963 season. F. Jarman (Celtic) will be playing his first full season in the senior grade after replacing P. Grainger, who left for Australia after the first round last year. B T. Edward and P. J. Ives fill the other positions in the Celtic team. *

R. H. Court has shown considerable improvement in his play since last year and should prove a high points scorer for University. M. Coppen can be one of the hardest players to beat, but he is apt to throw away paints at vital stages. The

former New Zealand Universities champion, P. Prendergast, fills the remaining place. D. J. Kalin, D. T. McBride and P. J. Wylie are all competent players forming the Daliington team

which is now in its second year in the grade. Avonside, which entered the grade in the relegation match against Star at the end of the first round last year, retains its original team, M. Flewellen, Chin Sin Pin and J. Pierce.