Open fields for badminton titles

Press, 30 August 1980, Page 24

Open fields for badminton titles

‘■i Tournament seedings can usually be relied upon to give a clue as to who should battle through to Contest the finals. But there are, as always, exceptions. The 1980 national badminton championships, which start on Tuesday at the Skellerup Hall, has the potential to be one of those delightful occasions When what should happen does not. Perhaps the most memofable single happening at last year’s championships at Waitemata was the performance of the 33-year-bld Waikato mother-of-three, Margaret Webster. Unseeded for the open singles, Mrs Webster beat Gray, Lyn Shirley land Alison Sinton to win the title. J Bryan Purser, the top seed for the open singles, is chasing his second

national singles title. But he will have to produce a top display to ward off what' should be a strong challenge from the lower seeds. Twice in lead-up tournaments, Purser has been beaten by players placed immediately below him — Stephen Lobb . (fourth) beat Purser in the Wairarapa championships last month and . Graeme. Robson (third) comfortably beat the 29-year-old Taranaki man in. the final of the Waikato championships a week ago. Philip Horne, Jacob van Seim and Warren Brewin should all be capable of determined bids, not to mention the unseeded Skelt brothers, Nigel and Peter, Wanganui’s Kevin Ross and the experienced Paul Shirley. But Purser’s toughest opponent — if the seed-

ings prove correct — should be the defending champion, Steve Wilson, of Waikato. Beaten in straight games by Purser at the Wisden Cup last month, Wilson will be out to show the, seeding panel the error of their ways. Wilson is seeded to meet van Seim in the quarter-finals and Robson in the semi-finals, while; Purser should meet Brewin and ■ Lobb at those respective stages. The leading contenders for the women’s open singles title wili. be well aware that the Über Cup team will be named at the conclusion of the championships. Diane Erikson has never won a national open title, but her chances of success in 1980 are very good. The Canterbury woman is top seed for the open singles and, with the durable Richard Purser, in the mixed doubles, and is seeded second in the women’s doubles, with Toni Whittaker. Assuming she is untroubled in her early round matches, Miss Erikson is likely to meet the former national singles champion, Mary. Livingston, in the quarterfinals. Mrs Livingston, seeded seventh, proved she can still match the best by comfortably beating Mrs Shirley in the final of the recent Waikato championshins. But unless Mrs Livingston or the sixth seed, Gaynor Weatherley, — who won the title in 1965 — can produce an upset, a new name will be inscribed on the trophy.