Morris tops rankings

Press, 5 October 1977, Page 56

Morris tops rankings

Canterbury has nine players in the 1977 rankings announced by the New Zealand Table Tennis Association — an increase of four on last year’s list. Three men are included in the top 10 and there are three boys in the junior rankings. Two Canterbury women, including Jan Morris at No. 1, are given placings and Ingrid Jagersma is eighth-ranked in the girls’ section.

Yee Chow Boi, the South Island champion, is ranked seventh, Maurice Burrowes eighth and Wayne Adamson ninth. This is an especially good effort by Yee as he failed to gain a ranking last year. However, both Burrowes and Adamson have dropped positions from last year.

The retirement of Gary Murphy has given Richard Lee the opportunity to jump from fourth to second position behind James Morris, while Graham Lassen drops from third to fifth. Robert Blair picks up one place to fourth but the biggest jump is made by Kerry Palmer. Palmer is ranked third, four places higher than last year, and Mike Saunders moves from ninth to sixth position.

Debbie Looms moves into fourth place in the women’s rankings but last year’s two top-ranked women, Ann Stonestreet, and Neti Traill, do not feature this year — one because of her early retirement and the other possibly because of her nonappearance at the national championships at Timaru.

Phillipa Marks earns herself eighth place, one below Yvonne Fogarty. David Williment again leads the boys’ rankings as well as taking tenth position on the men’s list. Lloyd Richards is second but Stuart Armstrong moves into third position, a rise Of five places.

Michael Hamel fills fifth place and Richard Dixon, named the top junior of the year, comes into tenth place. Rankings are:—

Senior.—-Men: J. R. Morris (Northland) 1, R. E. Lee (Auckland) 2, K. M. Palmer (Auckland) 3, R. C. Blair (Franklin) 4, G. B. Lassen (Auckland) 5, M. G. Saunders (Auckland) 6, C. B. Yee (Canterbury) 7, M. W. Burrowes (Canterbury) 8, W. D. Adamson (Canterbury) 9, D. J. Williment (Wellington) 10. Women.—Miss J. Morris (Canterbury) 1, Miss A. M. Brackenridge (Auckland) 2, Miss S. J. Palmer (Auckland) 3, Miss D. J. Looms (Marlborough) 4, Miss C. J. Sole (North Taranaki), 5, Miss K. A. Fraser (Franklin) 6, Miss Y. M. Fogarty (Auckland) 7, Miss

P. A. Marks (Canterbury) 8, Mrs R. A. Faster (Otago) 9, Mrs C. L. M. Beasley (nee McGregor, Wellington) 10.

Boys.—D. J. WiUtaient 1, L. J. Richards (Wellington) 2, S. G. Armstrong (Canterbury) 3, R. M. A. Darroch (Manawatu) 4, M. J. Hamel (Canterbury) 5, M. R. Temperley (Auckland) 6, J. G. Taylor (Hutt Valley) 7, R. F. Williment (Wellington) 8, S. F Edmond (Hutt Valley) 9, R. H. Dixon (Canterbury) 10. Girls.—D. J. Looms 1, L. M. Jekel (Franklin) 2, L. A. Dver (Auckland) 3, R. Lee (Hutt Valley) 4, L. A. Cooke (Hamilton) 5, K. J. Bing (Marlborough) 6, C. Young (Northland) 7, I. C. Jagersma (Canterbury) 8, H. Murphy (Northland) 9, J. Reed (Auckland) 10.