Two table tennis assignments

Press, 5 August 1977, Page 28

Two table tennis assignments

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Canterbury has two interests in table tennis contests in Wellington at the weekend.

Riccarton will represent . Canterbury in the national 1

• club final in Wellington on ; Sunday, but it will be sur- • prising if the Riccarton club reaches the final. Wayne;

Adamson, eighth-ranked in New Zealand, will head Ric-

carton’s challenge and he has the backing of the experienced John Armstrong : and Stephen Armstrong.

But the logical champion would appear to be the Auckland representative, which has the fourth and seventh ranked New Zealand players, Richard Lee and Kerry Palmer, and the fou r t h-ranked national woman, Angela Brackenridge, in its ranks. The New Zealand junior boys’ and girls’ teams finals will be held in Petone on Saturday and Canterbury not represented in the girls’ final, has a proud record to uphold in the boys’ event. Since 1971, Canterbury has had three wins and three seconds in the boys’ event and the team should fare well again this year, as it is represented by the same players — Stuart Armstrong, Michael Hamel, Richard Dixon and Guy Halliburton.

Armstrong and Hamel are both nationally-ranked in the junior section, but Wellington will obviously be favoured to win the title. It has the two top New Zealand juniors, David Williment and Lloyd Richards, the promising Richard Williment.

However, as shown at the national championships in recent years, there is little between the top 16 juniors in New Zealand and a concerted effort by the Canterbury team could yield a victory. Armstrong and Dixon have both played extremly well in the senior inter-club competition and Hamel, if he can establish control, is a fine attacking player. Marlborough will be the South Island representative in the girls’ final for the third successive year and the team could go close to winning as it has the thirdranked New Zealand junior, Debbie Looms, to head the challenge. Supporting her are Kathryn Bing and Vicki Saul.

Hutt Valley, with the services of Ruth Lee and Robyn Murphy, will start favourite for the title.