SIX TIMES CHAMPION

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31188, 12 October 1966, Page 15

SIX TIMES CHAMPION

RATIONAL women’s table tennis champion six times in the last seven years, Mrs N. Traill (Northland), deserves to be ranked among the finest players the sport has produced in New Zealand.

She first won the women’s open singles title in 1960, at the age of 16, and has won it every time she has entered since then. She did not compete in 1964.

In an era when the principle characteristic of women’s table tennis has been defensive play, Mrs Traill has achieved her prominence through her

ability to attack. She has the finest array of attacking shots of any woman in New Zealand.

Her fore-hand and backhand drives are hit as crisply as those of most of the men—and she is able to hit most of her opponents off the table. But she is not just a hitter. She can defend soundly and is a good counter-hitter.

For sheer speed of strokeplay she has no equal among New Zealand women. Mrs Traill has been considerably assisted by her equable temperement on the table. Whether hitting winners or making mistakes, she continues to play her natural game in the sure knowledge that she will come right eventually. She was beaten by Miss C. E. Johnson (Hamilton) in the inter-association teams’ contest but seemed unruffled by this and never looked like losing again.

There have been more imposing players than Mrs Traill and there have been players just as good, but none have ever won so often and with such ease. She stands head and shoulders above all her rivals.