Railway badminton team beaten

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33520, 29 April 1974, Page 10

Railway badminton team beaten

The fiffht-back by last year’s runner-up. Railway, against Canterbury No. 1 was the highlight of the second series of matches in the provincial A grade badminton inter-club competition in the Skellerup Hall on Saturday.

After losing its second man, D. Le Page, who badly injured his leg during the singles. Railway fought stoically with three Players.

But the team fell at the last obstacle, the women's doubles, and Railway lost an exciting encounter against Canterbury on points. With the completion of the eight individual contests, the matches and games were tied but Canterbury gained the advantage. 198 points to 166

TENDON INJURY Railway’s setback came in the second game of the singles between Le Page, a division three representative last year, and B. Wilson, a top junior player. After losing the first game in setting 18-14. Le Page trailed, 12-13, when he fell heavily to the floor. Le Page was carried from the court and admitted to hospital. He had ruptured an achilles tendon, and underwent surgery on Saturday evening. He was reported to be comfortable in hospital and is expected to be discharged early this week. Le Page will probably not play for the remainder of the season. Le Page was forced to default his singles, as well as the men's doubles and the second mixed doubles matches. Having lost the three contests, Railway won the next four matches it was able to play, and the team went to the final women’s doubles with a lead of 4-3. In the vital match, Mrs P. Duckmanton and the veteran, Mrs M. Miller, strove valiantly. But after three exhausting games they succumbed to Miss C. Reay and Mrs A. K. Smith. The matches were even, 4-all, and in the count-back the games were tied, 9-all, and Canterbury won on points by virtue of gaining the three defaulted matches without having any points scored against it. TEAMS WEAKENED An injury to Miss S. Dench, a division twb player last year, also affected the performance of a weakened Selwyn team, and the loss of the experienced Mrs B. Anderson, who was unavailable on Saturday, gave Canterbury No. 2 no sting against the defending champion, North Beach.

Miss Dench, who last week suffered a recurrence of a back

injury, was forced to watch her team lose 0-8, to Knox, and North Beach had a clean sweep against Canterbury No. 2. North Beach and Knox now have four competition points, followed by Railway and Canterbury No. 1, with two points. For North Beach it was the second successive clean sweep, but Knox is close behind, having lost only one match in two rounds. The star of the win by Canterbury No. 1 was the former, representative. Miss: I Reay. By winning a game in iher singles against Mis Duck- ; manton and playing outstanding l badminton m the women's doubles, she enabled Canterbury to draw even. Miss Reay, who is playing in her second season after her re-1 turn from England, was the inspiration for Canterbury’s win jin the tense doubles match. She: I dominated much of the play, l j defending stoutly and attacking ! i brilliantly. Miss Reay could j [again force herself into the pro-: i vincial division one team this I :year. She was unavailable for. representative play last year. EXCITING FINISH The doubles provided one of: the most thrilling conclusions to i an inter-club contest at the Skel- ■ lerup Hall for several seasons. : Mesdames Miller and Duckmanton (Railway) led, 12-2, in the first game, but the Canterbury! pair fought back and were beaten in the first game, 15-12. | Miss Reay and Mrs Smith won I the second game easily. 15-4 The third game was point tor point until Canterbury gained, the break at the change of ends Railway then came back from I a 9-5 deficit to draw nearer at 1 9-8 However, further fntelif-1

i gent play by Miss Reay sealed 11 the victory over Railway. ’ Results were:— Canterbury No. 1 198 points. Railway 166.—J. Anderson lost to ' G. A. Miller. 4-15. 8-15; B. Wilson beat D Le Page, 18-14, 15-3. 15-0 (Le Page withdrew because [■of injury); Anderson and Wilson 1 beat Miller and I.e Page, 15-0. ’ 15-0 (Railway defaulted' Miss C. Reay lost to Mrs P. Duck.manton. 7-11. 11-7. 5-11; Mrs A [ K Smith lost to Mrs M. Miller. .13-11, 4-11; Reay and Smith beat [ Miller and Duckmanton. 12-15, 15-4, 15-9. Anderson and Reay [[lost to G. A. Miller and Duck I manton. 12-15, 9-15; Wilson and 'iSmith beat Le Page and Mrs [Miller, 15-0, 15-0 (Railways defaulted). (North Beach 8 matches. Canter- . bury No. 2 0. ! P. Whiting beat C Waslev, . 115-4. 15-6; K Crofskev beat It J Sanders, 17-15, 15-5; Whiting and [Crofskev beat Waslev and San[l dew. 15-9. 15-6. Miss A. Rom beat Miss R. Smith. 11-4. 12-9; Mrs i(T. Perry beat Mrs S. Fox. 11-2. 11-1: Ross and Perry beat Smith [and Fox, 15-5. 15-2. i Crofskey and Ross beat Waslev land Fox, 15-2. 18-13; Whiting and Perrv beat Sanders and Smith, '[ls-12, 15-4. Knox 8 matches. Selwyn 0. ' W. Edgecumbe beat B. Wil. Hams. 15-8, 15-10; E. Kirkland beat P. Curtain, 15-8. 15-1: Edgecumbe and Kirkland beat Williams and Curtain, 15-6 15-9: Mrs A. Chamber beat Miss S. Wells. 11-4, 11-1; Mrs R Moran beat Mrs J. Bruce. [ll-0, 11-1; Chambers and Moran beat Wells and Bruce, 15-3, 15-3. Kirkland and Chambers beat [Williams and Wells, 15-9, 18-14. 'Edgecumbe and Moran beat Cur- • tain and Bruce, 15-9, 15-5. HKKKQSRE’JBBMBBHUQ