Table tennis teaser

Press, 10 June 1977, Page 24

Table tennis teaser

By

DAVID LEGGAT

The province’s two topranked table tennis players, Wayne Adamson and Maurice Burrowes, have withdrawn from the Canterbury team to meet Australia tonight. Normally this would be seen as the death blow to Canterbury’s chances, but many local observers feel that because the standard in the province is so high, the absence of Adamson and Burrowes will make little difference.

Apparently, both told the selection panel that they would be unavailable if, as had been rumoured, a fourman team was selected. The match was to be run on the basis of each man playing one singles match and Burrowes and Adamson playing the doubles. Yee Chow Boi and Harry Redmond are the other two players. The Australian team comprises Bob Tuckett and Andrew Savige and while they are highly-ranked players in

their own country this is not the top Australian team.

Adamson and Burrowes have little support from amongst fellow players but they do have a valid point. If Canterbury has a good chance of beating an international side, then its best players should be on the table.

On current form, however, there is not much difference between the four players, although Adamson and Burrowes have the edge when it comes to international experience.

It may sound that the two want all the matches between them and maybe regard themselves as being in a class above Yee and Redmond. But yesterday /Adamson put the whole affair in a different light. He said that, it did not matter who played for Canterbury, as Jong as it was two players not four. “I would prefer to see Burrowes and Redmond or Yee play than all four,” he said.

“Naturally I would be disappointed, but that is all. As

it is now, the match is really a farce. People think we are being greedy but that’s quite wrong.”

The national director of; coaching, and also a Canterbury selector, Mr Trevor Flint, said yesterday that when the pair were asked well before the team was announced, if they were available they had said they were.

Mr Flint said he was “flabbergasted” at the whole situation and added that it was not long ago when the pair were in the same situation as Yee and Redmond are now.

They were given matches against the touring Japanese team in 1973 to increase their international experience. The pair have been called a variety of names, ranging from clowns to mercenaries, but Canterbury table tennis enthusiasts will be hoping that Adamson and Burrowes do change their minds and play, if only for the sake of the sport in Canterbury and to better their own play.