Badminton rankings

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 21

Badminton rankings

Diane Erikson (Canterbury), who won her first national open singles title earlier this month, and Bryan Purser (Taranaki) have ■ predictably been ranked first by the New Zealand Badminton Federation in its 1980 rankings. Being ranked first caps off . a fine year for Miss Erikson, who also won the women’s section of the inaugural grand prix event and won selection in the Über Cup squad to meet Indonesia in Jakarta next month. Purser’s placing is no surprise: he showed at the. national championships in Christchurch that he is comfortably New Zealand’s best player.

Graeme Robson (Auckland) has taken second place, with the promising North Shore player, Philip Horne, third. A mild surprise is the placing at no higher than sixth of Nigel Skelt, who won the men’s section of the grand prix. Toni Whittaker, who greatly impressed at the national championships, is the second-ranked woman, with Alison Sinton, Lyn Shirley, and Lyn Duncan all slipping down on last year’s list. Tnree players, Steve Wilson (Waikato), Ross Livingston (Auckland) — both former open singles champions — and Eugene Gray (Horowhenua), were not considered because injury had cut

down their match play. The rankings are:— Men: B. Purser (Taranaki) 1, G. Robson (Auckland) 2. P. Horne (North Short) 3, J. van Seim (Wellington) 4, P. Skelt (Southland) 5, N. Skelt (Southland) 6. S. Lobb (Auckland) 7. J. Miles (Auckland) 8, P. Shirley (Waitemata) 9, G. Stone (Auckland) 10. Women: D. Erikson (Canterbury) 1. T. Whittaker (Auckland) 2, A. Sinton (Waitemata) 3. M. Livingston (Auckland) 4. K. Phillips (Counties) 5. L. Shirley (Waitemata) 6, W. Weatherley (North Shore) 7, L. Duncan (Auckland) 8, M. Lee (Hutt Valley) 9. K. Blair (North Shore) 10. '