Clear top dog in table tennis

Press, 22 August 1977, Page 22

Clear top dog in table tennis

It seems highly probable that no-one will come close to beating the defending table tennis champion, Auckland, when the : national inter-association titles begin at Timaru today. Auckland has three of the 10 top-ranked men and women— Graham Lassen. Richard Lee, Kerry Palmer, Angela Brackenridge. Kathy Fraser and Shelley 1 Palmer—and certainly lias a formidable look about it. I The loss, through retirement, of the temperamental Anne , iStonestreet does not appear to ' have weakened the team. James Morris and Neti Traill i will lead Northland’s challenge, but apart from the two nationally ranked players and tlie vet- i jeran, Garry Frew, the team has (little else Io offer. I Wellington may be a little thini {on experience, but it does have ; two of the country’s most pro-1: [tnising young players, David 'Willlment and Llovd Richards, (both aged 17. I

King Y Lal, tenth-ranked na tlonally, will back up the two youngsters, but Wellington can-1 not be expected to cause many! upsets. With the loss of Gary Murphy,i Hutt Valley win not be the threat it was in previous years, but Robert Blair and Geoff Ran ghel Franklin a respectable side but I not a dangerous one. Canterbury may struggle in the men’s section, but its women should do well. However, the No. I 1 woman. Jan Morris. has al slight injury to her ankle, but will be fit to play, and the cap-1 tain of the men’s team, Yeel Chow Boi. has bruising around big stomach, after colliding with I the side of the table at the lat-i est Inter-club matches Adamson, No. 1 in Canterbury,] and Yee. the South Island cham-| ipion are, surprisingly, ranked I ]below Maurice Btirrowes. who is I sixth. Btirrowes has had an In ! consistent season and must he regarded as fortunate to have 'secured a ranking.