Pursers have given good account of themselves

Press, 20 September 1980, Page 20

Pursers have given good account of themselves

DAVID LEGGAT

Bryan Purser’s admiration for the achievements of his older brother, Richard, comes through quite clearly when he talks of badminton in New Zealand.

It is as well he is, for the first thing that impresses about Richard is his obvious modesty and reluctance to talk of his own memorable feats in badminton. He is an excellent example of someone who has done it all — and is still doing it.

By contrast, Bryan is frank and forthright in bis views on the sport. But he is also constructive. His remarks are always intended not to attack but to aid the advancement of the game. ■ If Richard is still regarded as the king of New

Zealand badminton — he was so described during the recent national tournament — then Bryan is certainly the. heir apparent.

Between them, they have effectively dominated the sport for more’ than a decade. Only three times •since 1962, when Richard won his first. open singles event, has a New Zealand championship been held and a Purser failed to take at .least one open title.

Those years were 1963, when overseas players dominated the tournament: 1965 when Don Higgins won his second singles title, Grenville Hinton and Wong Pat Meng took the men’s doubles and Higgins and Gaynor Weatherley shared the mixed doubles; and 1979, the ydar Steve Wilson won his . first singles, and picked up the men’s doubles with Ross Livingston, and Nigel Skelt and Alison Sinton won their first mixed doubles title. Richard has won nine open singles titles since 1962, including five in succession from 1967, Bryan has two singles championships; Richard has shared 10 doubles titles, eight with Bryan, with a remarkable seven in eight years; Richard has an astounding 13 mixed doubles titles — achieved with four different partners — .while Bryan has picked up two championships with Robyn Denton in 1972 and 1974. Richard Purser has made a record number of appearances for New Zealand and was a world’ranked player. Those with long memories of the sport maintain that had Richard been blessed with Bryan’s power and strength, he would have been a great international player, instead of a very good one, which he undoubtedly has been. The first real indication of Bryan’s outstanding taient came in 1968 when he toured Australia with the first and only New Zealand youth team. He won the junior Australian singles title, at the tender age of 16, thus contributing his bit to a highly successful tour. On that same trip, John Compton won the open singles title, when only 20, and Robyn Denton took the junior girls’ singles event. The other members of that well-performed team were Geoff Miller, now one of Canterbury s favourite badminton sons, •

Glenys Waller and Christine Compton. The following year, Bryan Purser made his New Zealand debut in the Thomas Cup tie against Singapore in Christchurch. New Zealand was the underdog, yet won, 7-2. For the first time, New Zealand came through to win its zone, having beaten Australia. Four years ago, New Zealand again got through to the zone finals in Bangkok, where it was beaten, 6-2, by Malaysia; That same year,’ 1976, Bryan Purser left New Zealand for three and a

half years. But his reasons for leaving the country were not solely to further his badminton skills. “I wanted to play against a lot of the top players in Europe, and I also wanted to see top sport in other fields. I am rapt in sports so I made the most of it, and I wanted to get the bug out of my system.” Sport, in general, clearly plays a very significant part in the lives of the brothers from Taranaki. Bryan played Hawke Cup cricket for the province during its three-season tenure of the Cup, ending in March 1973, . •_

indeed, he played an important part in Taranaki’s dramatic three-wicket win 1 over. Hawke’s Bay in 1971, scoring 43 and an unbeaten 29 in the second innings when four runs were needed from the final over. In addition, he plays golf (to a : four handicap at one stage), had trials for the Freyberg Rosebowl representative team, and played inter-club squash. Richard was ranked ninth in ...national open

squash listings in 1975 and this week-end will be playing for his Kawaroa club at the Cousins Shield national championships in Wellington. He also represented Central Districts in the Wilding Shield interdistrict national tennis tournament. Bryan Purser was based in London but played in the Netherlands, Denmark and West Germany. Badminton has also enabled Richard Purser to travel extensively. After the: last All-Eng-land championships, the brothers went to South

Africa for a month-long series of sponsored tournaments. During the trip, the pair were unbeaten. Making a reasonable living from badminton, which in New Zealand still struggles for recognition as a major sport, is a difficult exercise — unless one happens to be in the Very top handful of international players. Perhaps, this is why finance is one of Bryan Purser’s main concerns.

An . increase in the amount of tough match play is a chief priority, and this must mean sending the country’s leading plavers overseas. “We have spent money on bringing coaches here and taking young players overseas, but it is time some of the money was channelled into sending teams away to compete. “It is very important for our players, we have to encourage them.” When Bryan Purser speaks of the value of overseas experience his words should be heeded. . . •

“My badminton certain- » ly improved. It-was an inexperience but it

cost me a lot of money. “It is getting to the stage where more thought should be put to assisting players financially. I do not see why I should spend all my money playing badminton.” As players who have been at the top of the New Zealand badminton tree for many years, Richard and Bryan Purser are well qualified to compare the standard of the game “then” and now.

They agree the leading men are no better than their predecessors, but there is greater depth, whereas the women were stronger 10 years ago but there are now more good players coming through. Bryan Purser feels the junior players are “no better now” than in the past. Both he and Richard were promising enough to be ranked in the open events when still eligible to compete at the junior, or under-19, level. Any regrets? Bryan Purser, competing at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, met Jamie McKee of Canada as New Zealand was in with a chance of the silver medal. He won the first game, 15-4, but lost the next two games. “I was really disappointed. I felt reasonably confident that I could beat him, . but I let the crowd get the better of me.”

New Zealand went down, 2-3, to Canada in one semi-final while England beat Malaysia, 4-1, in the other. The highlights?

Richard Purser’s reticence to talk of his achievements again comes through. However, he does concede that winning the Irish open title in 1965 and 1978 gave him much pleasure. In the 1978 final he beat Bryan to bring off a Temarkable feat of winning an event 13 years after having won it previously. “A great thrill.”

Bryan remembers a match against the magnificent Dane, Svend Pri, at the All England championship twq years ago, when Pri was ranked second. Bryan Purser narrowly went down in the third game.

It is when talking of the highlights that Bryan’s pride in his brother’s performances comes out. “Richard has beaten a lot of the top European players at . various times. He has more of a mark on Europe than any other New Zealand player.”: He qualified that by adding that Jeff Robson, whom both obviously rated very highly, had fewer, opportunities than players of the more recent vintage. What of the future?

Bryan Purser says “I would want to play competitively for. as long as I can.”.

From Richard Purser, the man who has done everything possible in the sport, the man who has run out of challenges, a simple “I will just keep on playing, I enjoy being involved.”

Within a couple of years, Richard Purser will be able, should he choose to do so, to compete in both the open and veteran events at the national championships. If, and when, he does so, who will deny that his name will probably be inscribed on tropnies in both classes?