Tough tour ahead

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34041, 3 January 1976, Page 4

Tough tour ahead

The leading - Canterbury badminton player, Peter Whiting-, who together with Peter Skelt, of Southland, leaves soon for England, faces a busy schedule of coaching and tournament play while over-|. seas.

The pair will be based: at Wimbledon, where they' will be coached by the leading English coach, Mr lan Palmer, who also coached the two young players sponsored overseas last year, Steve Wilson (Otago) and Chris Bullen (Auckland).

Mr Palmer is regarded as a hard taskmaster, but his reputation is such that Whiting and Skelt should not be let down on the coaching side of their tour. The New Zealand Badminton Federation has speciallyasked Mr Palmer to work on the pair’s doubles play, j a department of the game which needs strengthening! in New Zealand. At present, 11 county: tournaments are being considered for Whiting and Skelt, although the final decision on where they compete will be left to Mr Palmer. And if their tournament form is reasonable then Mr Palmer has been asked to enter them in the AllEngland championships, which are at present re-i

garded as the unofficial world championships. Yet, even if they are en-, tered for this prestigious! tournament they will almost certainly have to survive qualifying rounds be- i fore reaching the champion- i ships proper.