Table tennis prospects bright

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32700, 1 September 1971, Page 28

Table tennis prospects bright

(By our table tennis reporter)

After Canterbury’s tremendous performance in the inter-island table tennis fixture on Monday,- the chances of a Canterbury success in the New Zealand men’s open singles champion, ship, which will begin tomorrow, have risen dramatically.

Canterbury’s top player. Ling Nan Ming, seeded sixth, was the only Canterbury competitor to be included in the ranking list of 10, but he and two other Canterbury players, Loke Sim Wong and M. W. Burrowes, showed scant respect for the New Zealand selectors’ selections in Monday’s contest. Between the three of them,

they accounted for the three top seeds for the New Zealand singles event, Loke Sim Wong showed his best form, ruthlessly smashing the defending champion and No. 1 seed. G- B- Murphy (Auckland) off the .table. He also disposed of the third-seeded R. E. Lee (Hamilton), winning the third game by a decisive' seven points.

Ling beat the Auckland open title-holder and second seed, A R. Tomlinson, with ridiculous ease, while Burrowes scored his second successive win against Lee after a closely fought match. A favourable draw should also help the two Canterbury Malaysjans to progress to the final rounds. Ling should qualify to meet Lee in the quarter-finals, and on present form will be expected to upset his younger opponent. Loke, whose aggressive

style is similar to Ling’s, will face Tomlinson in a thirdround match. Loke should enter this contest with renewed confidence after watching Ling humiliate Tomlinson on Monday. Other Canterbury players likely to make their presence felt during the initial rounds include the New Zealand senior men’s title-holder, V. N. Brightwell; J. Armstrong; and the two talented juniors, G. J. Rhind and W. Adamson.

Now that Mrs N. Traill (Northland) is unable to compete in the women’s singles, the way seems clear for the attacking 19-year-old player, Miss Y. M. Fogarty (Otago), to add the New Zealand women’s singles to her South Island and North Island titles.

However, the top Canterbury pair, Mrs T. May and Miss B. A. Taylor, must stand

a great chance of reaching the last eight from their unseeded positions. Both scored surprise wins against the fourth seed for the championship, Miss D. L. Wade (Auckland), in the NorthSouth contest. Miss Taylor has developed her game sufficiently to trouble any ranked rival.

Last year, Canterbury dominated the junior titles and should continue to do so this year. Burrowes must be seriously challenging Lee for the latter’s position as top New Zealand junior, while Rhind and Adamson proved at the New Zealand junior teams’ contest that they are worth higher places on the ranking list. Miss Taylor, Miss P. A. Marks, and Miss J. Morris should ensure Canterbury a feast of titles in the girls’ events.