Encouraging results for Canterbury

Press, 19 September 1984, Page 36

Encouraging results for Canterbury

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Canterbury can look back at the 1984 seventy-fifth anniversary New Zealand table tennis championships in Palmerston North recently with considerable pride. In sharp contrast to 1983, when there was little to savour, the championships produced some excellent individual performances and there was notable success in the teams’ event.

The top of the list must be the achievement of Jan Morris in winning her fifth national open singles title. The determined, aggressive left-hander beat the experienced Wellington player, Ann Gyongyos, in the semifinals before overcoming Shelley Bougher, of Auckland, a former champion, in straight games in the final. Mrs Bougher, who won the title in 1978 and 1982, had earlier beaten the top seed and defending champion, Christine Lee. Miss Morris’ success means only two players have won the national title more times — Margaret Hoar, who represented Wairarapa, Wellington and Auckland while winning seven titles in the 1940 s and 19505, and the outstanding Neti Traill, who won eight crowns between 1960 and 1970.

While Miss Morris was cementing her place as one of New Zealand’s finest table tennis players, another Canterbury player, Karl Entwistle, was confirming his growing reputation as

one of the brightest prospects to emerge from the province for many seasons. Last year, Entwistle won 10 of his 15 matches in the under-15 boys’ teams’ event, and combined with Blair Lockhart to win Canterbury’s first junior national title since Stuart Armstrong won the singles nine years ago. This time, Entwistle went one step further, winning the under-16 singles championship and suffering just one loss in the under-15 boys teams’ event. Entwistle’s outstanding form enabled Canterbury to finish fourth in the A grade section. :

Entwistle was. the third seed for the singles, behind the Traill brothers, Gary and Murray. He beat Murray in three games in the semi-final, and wrapped up a highly successful year by beating Gary, 21-16, 21-19, in the final.

The 15-year-oid Shirley Boys’ High School pupil has scooped the three premier under-16 titles this year. He won the North Island championships, beating Otago’s Chris Sparrow comfortably; and picked up the South Island title with a win against Michael McCleary, of Hutt Valley. Having had a busy, and productive winter, Entwistle could have been excused a break over the summer. However, no such thoughts have crossed his mind. He will be turning out for Avonside, with the aim of

improving his already impressive game in readiness for defending his national crown next year. Two other individuals — one vastly experienced, the other a relative novice — also gave commendable performances. Thelma May, one of Canterbury’s most durable competitors, made up for losing her veteran’s singles final with victories in the doubles and mixed doubles events. Grant McCarroll reached the final of the under-18 mixed doubles and was the key figure in the second placing Canterbury earned in the A grade of the teams’ event. He won 13 of his 15 singles matches.

The men’s senior team was unbeaten in the B grade competition and one season after being relegated from the Kean shield contest for A grade teams will return to the top level. John Richards, the Avonside left-hander whose form fluctuates markedly from the very good to the very poor, won 13 of his 15 singles matches to guide the team through five unbeaten rounds; McCarroll will be more than happy with his seven wins from 10; while Michael Burrowes won six of 13 and Lyndon White three from five matches.

Of the junior girls, none performed better than Jendy Harper, who won 11 of her 15 matches in the under-18 teams’ event.