Marathon Match In Badminton

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31383, 31 May 1967, Page 20

Marathon Match In Badminton

A sustained challenge by the newly-formed Canterbury Malaysian Students' team to break the Railway club's dominance of the A grade badminton competition failed narrowly in a third round game which- extended into yesterday morning. Railway I scored another big win, conceding only one set to Selwyn, but Railway 11, the coleader, had an epic struggle with the students before gaining Its third successive win. Ho Kah Yen, the Canterbury representative, played his best badminton of the season in leading the students’ challenge. He was both brilliant and ruthless against G. A. Miller. Yen's superb wristy drop shots often had •Miller wrong-footed and when the young Railway player tried to duel at the net his rival quickly had him in trouble.

The other men’s singles, between R. J. Miller and Lim Sang Meng, was the closest and most entertaining of the night. It was a marathon encounter, full of smashes, vigorous clears and loud cries of enchantment and disenchantment by Meng. Each

of the three sets was drawn out and at the end Miller, the winner, was only one point ahead of his rival for the match.

The match scores were level before the start of the last games, the mixed doubles, but heady play by the two Railway combinations brought their team to victory. Railway II won by five matches to three, but the teams were level in sets and C.M.S. was ahead on points. The left-handed Mrs M. Miller was the principal figure in Railway’s win; her steadiness and experience guided the team through its stormy passage. Selwyn had an unexpected setback when its leading woman player, Mrs B. Anderson, the Canterbury singles champion, lost in straight sets to Mrs P. Duckmfnton (Railway I). Mrs Duckmanton's improvement in the last two weeks has been most marked and she was a worthy winner. Railway I had comfortable wins in most of the other matches, Miss R. Waites, A. G. Duckmanton and G. Ellis revealing good form. H. Williams ensured that Selwyn did not go down without a fight, and he showed great spirit in extending Ellis in both sets of their game. Avbnside had bad luck. Mrs V. W. Boatwood was ill and T. J. Bradbury, who started the evening with one ankle heavily bandaged, hurt the other as well in his singles match. P. V. Boatwood and Mrs M. Brown, however, kept free of trouble and the team limped home against University, in spite of defaulting in two matches.

Knox suffered only one misfortune—when B. G. Hadlee broke hie racquet In a mixed doubles match—and the side gained its first win comfortably, against Railway 111. L. Robinson and M. Berry, the province's leading juniors, struck a blow for youth by beating the experienced combination of Hadlee and B. W. Crofts.

Results: Avonside 5, University 3 P. V. Boatwood beat G. G. Ford, 15-11, 15-0; T. J. Bradbury lost to A. Ampong, 5-15, 8-15; Boatwood and Bradbury beat Ford and Ampong, 11-15, 15-5, 15-12.

Mrs M. Brown beat Miss L. Tucker, 11-4, 11-4: Mrs V. W. Boatwood lost to Miss S. Ching by default; Mesdames Brown and Boatwood beat Misses Tucker and Ching, 15-2, 15-7.

Boatwood and Mrs Brown beat Ford and Miss Tucker, 15-7, 15-4; Bradbury and Mrs Boatwood lost to Ampong and Miss Ching by default. Railway I 8, Selwyn 0 A. G. Duckmanton beat J. Findlay, 15-8, 15-7; G. Ellis beat H. Williams, 18-13, 15-10; Duckmanton and Ellis beat Findlay and Williams, 15-6, 15-12. Mrs P. Duckmanton beat Mrs B. Anderson, 11-7, 12-10; Miss R. Waites beat Mrs A. Ryan, 11-1, 11-6; Mrs Duckmanton and Miss Waites beat Mesdames Ryan and Anderson, 11-15, 18-16, 18-14.

Duckmanton and Miss Waites beat Findlay and Mrs Anderson, 15-8, 15-11; Ellis and Mrs Duckmanton beat Williams and Mrs Ryan, 15-7, 15-6. Knox 7, Railway 111 1 B. W. Crofts beat L. Robinson, 15-9, 15-7; B. G. Hadlee beat M. Berry, 15-7, 15-6: Crofts and Hadlee lost to Robinison and Berry, 16-17, 15-4, 14-17. Miss E. Stevenson beat Miss E. Chandler, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7; Miss B. Makinson beat Mrs L. Hawkins, ling, 11-3; Misses Stevenson and Makinson beat Mrs Hawkins and Miss Chandler, 15-5, 15-10.

Hadlee and Miss Makinson beat Robinson and Mrs Hawkins, 12-15, 15-7, 15-5; Crofts and Miss Stevenson beat Berry and Miss Chandler, 15-9, 15-7.

Railway II 5, C.M.S. 3 G. A. Miller lost to Ho Kah Yen, 4-15, 5-15; R. J. Miller beat Lim Sang Meng, 14-17, 18-17, 15-12; G. A. and R. J. Miller lost to Ho Kah Yen and Lim Sang Meng, 7-15, 5-15. Mrs M. Miller beat Miss S. Dench, 11-8, 11-6; Mrs D. Murphy lost to C. Reay, 6-11, 8-11; Mesdames Miller and Murphy beat Misses Dench and Reay, 15-5, 7-15, 15-5. G. Miller and Mrs Miller beat Ho Kah Yen and Miss Dench. 15-5, 6-15, 15-11; R. Miller and Mrs Murphy beat Lim Sang Meng and Miss Reay, 13-18, 15-7, 15-2.

W L F A Pt Railway I . 3 0 22 2 3 Railway II .. 3 0 16 8 3 Avonsid® 2 1 16 8 2 C.M.S. 1 1 10 6 1 Chch. 1 1 7 9 1 Knox 1 1 7 9 1 Univ. 1 2 11 13 1 Selwyn 0 3 4 20 0 Railway III 0 3 3 21 0