Table tennis successes

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 24

Table tennis successes

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) SINGAPORE. Maintaining the magnificent form they showed in the teams’ contest, New Zealand’s three women players reached the quarter-finals of singles in the Commonwealth table tennis championships yesterday.

And each one of them defeated a seeded player in reaching the last eight.

However, none could advance to the semi-finals, although they fought hard enough.

The New Zealand champion, Mrs N. Traill, lost to Miss K. Mathews (England), 13-21, 21-15, 8-21, 9-21; Miss K. Fraser lost to Miss V. Mesukaitis (Canada), 21-13, 8-21, 7-21; and Miss Y. M. Fogarty lost to Miss P. Piddock (England), 16-21, 17-21, 11-21. The other quarter-final was won by Miss J. Shirley (England), who beat Miss E. Jacks (Ghana), 21-5, 21-13, 21-14. HELD ON DEFENCE Mrs Traill could take only one game off Miss K. Mathews, the No. 1 seed for this championship. She was soon on defence and remained that way for most of the match. Miss Fogarty had early leads in each game against Miss Piddock but her opponent was the more polished and sound player. Miss Fraser surprised by taking the first game off the 19-year-old Miss Mesukaitis, who was unbeaten in teams’ play, and yet was unseeded for this championship. Miss Mesukaitis is the United States and Canadian open champion, and although troubled by Miss Fraser’s loop in the first game, she quickly adjusted to win the next three. SEEDS DEFEATED In the earlier matches, Mrs Traill beat Goh Keng Wah (Singapore), 21-13, 21-11, 21-5; beat Tan Sok Hong (Malaysia), the fifth seed, 21-19, 16-21, 15-21, 21-19, 21-8; beat A. Yee (Singapore), 21-11, 21-7, 21-12. Miss Fraser beat Ho Yit Ngoh (Singapore), 21-13, 21-15, 21-16; beat Tan Kek Hiang (Singapore), the No. 4 seed, 13-21, 25-23, 21-18, 18-21, 22-20; beat J. Wan (Singapore), 21-12, 21-14, 21-16.

Miss Fogarty had a bye in the first round, and then beat Miss V. Woodward (Australia), 21-15, 21-14, 13-21, 20- 21-15, and Ong Mooi Mooi (Malaysia), the second seed, 21-17, 9-21, 21-18, 21EARLY LOSSES All the New Zealand men went out in the first round. A R. Tomlinson and G. B. Murhy each took a game off their opponents, but the best

performance was by J. Morris, who lost in five games to Lau Seq Fong (Hong Kong), 17-21, 21-19, 7-21, 22-20, 15-21.

Tomlinson lost to Nir Kasim Ali (Pakistan), 17-21, 21-8, 15-21, 13-21; Murphy lost to L. Lee (Canada), 10-21, 13-21, 21-17, 10-21; R. E. Lee went down to J. Hanson (Ghana), 21-14, 17-21, 16-21, 23-21, 20-22. The quarter-finalists in the men’s singles were Mir Kasim Ali, Loong Peng Sum (Malaysia), G. Jaganath (India), Chia Chong Boon (Singapore), T. Taylor (England), Tan Khoon Hong (Singapore), C. Wuvunich (Australia) and V. M. Merchant (India). STRONG POTENTIAL New Zealand’s hopes in the women’s doubles were dashed when Mrs Trail and Miss Fogarty were beaten in four games by A. Yee and Tan Hui Gek (Singapore). But the juniors, Lee and Morris, gave further evidence of their outstanding . potential by winning their first two doubles matches.

They then played the Hong Kong pair Ma Lung Sang and Chan Ceuk Nin, the No. 2 seeds, who won in straight games.