TABLE TENNIS

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33264, 29 June 1973, Page 20

TABLE TENNIS

Otago side stronger

j Although Canterbury jscored a record 27-1 victory against. Otago earlier this;

month, the latter province is

expected to provide much, stronger opposition in the southern quadrangular table tennis tournament in Timaruj on Saturday. Canterbury has held the! Rein Cup for the last three; years and should record its| fourth consecutive win.; South Canterbury and Southland normally offer only ; token resistance, but Otago’s I chances should not be dis-' 'missed now that B. A. Foster ihas returned to the team. I Foster, a former national ! .singles champion, recently returned to Otago after 16 months overseas. While on his travelling holiday he played table tennis at every opportunity and competed in the world championships in Jugoslavia. It did not take Foster long; to re-establish himself in; New Zealand. Last Saturday; he won the Otago open chain-i pionship for the fourteenth; time, beating the resolute J. Armstrong (Canterbury) ini three straight sets. The South Island reserve: past year, G. J. Williams, who! was not available for thej earlier fixture against Can-; terbury, has been selected and this gives Otago a powerful top pair. With the New Zealand ranked Malaysians, Ling Nan Ming and Loke Sim Wong I not available, and the sue-1 [cessful Yee Chow Boi handi-' ; capped by a shoulder injury, the Canterbury team will be Armstrong and the three in-i form Selwyn players, V. NJ Brightwell, W. T. Scott and H. P. Holt. While a close contest' seems certain in the men’s; section, Canterbury holds the whip hand in the women’s division even though Otago will be strengthened with the inclusion of the experienced pair. Mesdames R. Foster and C. Young. Mrs T. May. Misses B. A. Taylor, P. A. Marks and Mrs T. May—the; South Island team last year —and the Canterbury champion, Miss J. G. Morris, should be able to clinch the Rein Cup for the province.