Badminton titles to English

Press, 4 July 1983, Page 3

Badminton titles to English

PA Auckland Darren Hall, aged 17, became the youngest player to win the international men’s badminton singles title in Auckland yesterday. His fellow English team member, Gillian Clark, won the women’s title. Hall beat New Zealand’s Graeme Robson in straight sets, 17-15, 15-11.

Clark beat Gillian Gowers in an all-England final to win the Gillette women’s singles, 11-4, 11-3. Their final in the Yonex International tournament took only 18 minutes — eight for the first set, 10 for the second.

Clark displayed a talent and flair which few men players could better, proving her advocacy that prize money for men’s and women’s events should be the same.

She said that generally the women received only 80 per cent of the prize money offered the men.

“I think I play as hard, train as much and play as excitingly as any male,” she said, “so I am firmly advocating equal prize money.”

She was certainly the most talented player taking part. She has all the strokes, including a lethal backhand flick played from below the waist.

This had Gowers in plenty of trouble and when the two combined for the Countrywide women’s doubles, the shot had a devastating effect on the Australian pair of Julie McDonald and Audrey Swaby. The doubles title, won 18-13, 15-4', was Clark’s second championship of the tournament. A New Zealander has yet to win a singles title at the six-year-old Yonex tournament, and Robson had the best chance in a relatively even men’s field. However, he had a heavily strapped right ankle from the Australian tour last month, and he had not the mobility of old against an opponent who had been taught the advantages of speed in a tuition tour of China.

Still, Robson fought .back from 2-14 in the first set to force a three-point setting. Robson won the first point from a netted shot from

Hall then lost the next setting points from netting a drop shot and hitting an overhead out. Robson levelled from 1-8 to 8-8 in the second set, lost the next three points and could pick up only the odd points as his opponent won 15-11.

Robson had a second chance of a title in the Gordon’s Gin men’s doubles with his fellow Aucklander, Chris Bullen. After losing the first set to Hafidz Yusuf and Sigit Pamungkas (Indonesia) 5-15, the home combination took the second 15-7.

The third seat was evenly fought but Robson and Bullen made errors at critical times — not the least a misunderstanding when both players went up for a shot and both missed — to lose the final set and the title, 12-15. Results:

Yonex men's singles. — Semi-finals: Darren Hall (Eng.) beat Sigit Pamungkas (Indonesia), 15-2, 15-6; Graeme Robson (N.Z.) beat Michael Scandolera (Aust), 15-9, 15-6. Final: Hall beat Robson, 17-

15, 15-11. Gillette women’s singles. — semi-finals: Gillian Clark (Eng.) beat Julie McDonald (Aust.) 11-4, 11-1; Gillian Gowers (Eng.) beat Audrey Swaby (Aust.) 11-7,10-12,11-6.

Final: Clark beat Gowers, 11-4, 11-3.

Countrywide Women’s doubles. — Play off: Clark and Gowers beat Alison Sinton and Toni Whittaker (N.Z.), 15-4, 15-9; Maxine Evans (Aust.) and Wendy Massam (Eng.) beat Katrin Blair and Linda Persson (N.Z.) 15-8, 15-3.

Semi-finals: McDonald and Swaby beat Sinton and Whittaker, 15-8, 15-1; Clark and Gowers beat Evans and Massam 15-7, 15-7.

Final: Clark and Gowers beat McDonald and Swaby, 18-13, 15-4.

Gordon’s Gin men’s doubles. — semi-final: Hafidz Yusuf and Sigit Pamungkas (Indonesia) beat Darren McDonald and Scandolera (Aust), 15-11, 12-15, 15-9.

Final: Hafidz Yusuf and Sigit Pamungkas beat Robson and Chri Bullen (N.Z.), 15-5, 715, 15-12.