Improved Armstrongs sights set high

Press, 27 August 1977, Page 12

Improved Armstrongs sights set high

By

DAVID LEGGAT

After several seasons in the A grade inter-club table tennis competition, and being rated as a player with considerable promise, Stuart Armstrong is finally living up to all the predictions that have been made about him.

One of Armstrong’s major weaknesses in the past has been his habit of letting his opponent off the hook. This season he has been much more consistent and has also shown a tougher streak in his general play which has made him a much more difficult proposition. Armstrong, a member of the youthful Riccarton II team, is having his best season and has recorded a number of notable wins. It seems that Canterbur y ’ s second-ranked player, Maurice Burrowes is his particular “bunny”: he has beaten Burrowes three times this season.

Armstrong is sure that two reasons combined to produce his inconsistency last season. “It was a lack of training, both physical and on the table, and possibly other interests such as getting University Entrance. Also I lacked a general, basic stroke play that is required,” he said. This year, now left Christchurch Boys’ High School, Armstrong spends three hours a week on physical exercise and an-

other three on table practice. “If it was possible, I would spend a lot more time practising.” In 1975, Armstrong, then 15, won the Canterbury open championships under-16 and under-21 sections, and later went on to win five titles at the South Island open championships and two titles at New Zealand championships. He was also selected for the national junior coaching school to cap off a remarkable year. The previous year, Armstrong and his older brother, Alastair, became the first pupils to be awarded sports colours for table tennis. Last year, he slipped somewhat, winning only three local singles titles of relatively little importance. This year, Armstrong has won three under 21 singles titles, three doubles and one mixed doubles, as well as one singles, one doubles and two mixed doubles in the under 18 age group. But his real rise to prominence has come in the open class competitions. He has reached the semi-finals in the Canterbury Easter tournament, the South Canterbury open championships and the Canterbury open championships. He has

beaten the country’s topranked junior, Wellington’s David Williment, twice this year. Armstrong feels that the conditions for table tennis in Canterbury are not as good as they could be. “Compared with other associations the conditions are not good. Timaru has the best stadium in New Zealand. It is really top class,” said Armstrong. He believes that the organisation of tournaments around the South Island are far too time-con-suming. “The break between matches is far too long. This is the fault of the tournament controllers

who are not strong enough. I am not pointing the finger at any individuals though.” Marlborough would “run rings” around Canterbury when it came to tournament organising. “However, I know that the Canterbury people concerned do their best with the limited numbers that are prepared to work. There are very few people who are prepared to take the time to run tournaments and they do their best.” Armstrong also has strong words to say about the fund-raising committee. “The fund-raising is pathetic. A far more di-

ligent committee is needed.” The Canterbury captain and the South Island champion, Yee Chow Boi, is the toughest player in the competition as far as Armstrong is concerned. The contrast in styles between the pair is obvious. Yee is a flat-hitter who prefers to win the point in the shortest possible time; he likes a fast game. Armstrong employs a lot of spin in his game and enjoys the longer rallies. Armstrong, a fabric con'troller, has two ambitions, one of which should be a natural progression from the other. One is to be ranked in the top three nationally; the other, to travel overseas with a New Zealand team.