Badminton Season Opens

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31985, 12 May 1969, Page 20

Badminton Season Opens

The dominance and form shown by the Mairehau pair, P. V. Boatwood and B. Crofts, highlighted the first round of the badminton season played at the . Skellerup Hall on Saturday.

This was the first time club badminton has been played on Saturday, but one scheduled match will have to be played at a later date because of the absence of G. Miller. Canterbury’s No. 2 seed, who is attending a national coaching school.

With Boatwood and Crofts in such good form. Mairehau. although losing both women’s singles matches, had a comfortable win over Railways 11. six matches to two. In the other match, Knox lost to Canterbury by the same margin. Between them. Boatwood and Crofts gave away only 14 points in their singles and doubles matches. Railways M. Berry and G. Chambers having no answer to the skill and fitness of their opponents. Crofts, in particular, played well, his variation in serving in the doubles encounters often providing quick points without going to a rally.

Miss L. Bassett and Mrs A. Smith gained two wins for Railway in matches that were hard fought and interesting. Mrs Smith had to play to three sets before she subdued Miss S, Dench.

Last season's Canterbury representative, E. Olgier, beat Christchurch's fourth-seeded club player, G. Ellis, in three sets, and was particularly fast and aggressive in his methods. However, his partner, B. G. Hadlee, did not have a happy day, experiencing trouble in | finding his touch in most de-1 partments of the game.

Detailed results:— Canterbury 6, Knox 2

G. Ellis lost to E. Olgier. 15-8, 8-15, 7-15: J. Lang beat B. G.

Hadlee. 15-8, 15-11; Lang and Ellis beat Olgier and Hadlee 15-13. 8-15. 17-16.

Miss S. Bruce beat Miss G. Mathews. 11-4, 11-6: Miss N. Oliver beat Miss B. Sugden. 10-12. 11-4. 11-1; Misses Bruce and Oliver beat Misses Mathews and Sugden, 15-10, 15-6.

Ellis and Miss Bruce beat Olgier and Miss Sugden. 15-2, 15-0; Lang and Miss Oliver lost to Hadlee' and Miss Mathews. 7-15, 6-15.

Mairehau 6. Railway II 2 P. V. Boatwood beat M. Berry. 15-2, 15-5; B. Crofts beat G. Chambers. 15-2. 15-0; Boatwood and Crofts beat Berry and Chambers, 15-4, 15-1.

Miss R. Attwell lost to Miss L. Bassett, 5-11, 5-11: Miss S. Dench lost to Mrs A. Smith, 11-8. 10-12. 7-11; Misses Dench and Attwell beat Mrs Smith and Miss Bas sett. 9-15, 15-8. 15-9.

Boatwood and Miss Dench beat Berry and Mrs Smith, 15-6, 15-6; Crofts and Miss Attwell beat Chambers and Miss Bassett. 15-11. 15-10.