Incentive for top players

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 21

Incentive for top players

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

More than normal interest will focus on the New Zealand croquet championships in Christchurch in the next fortnight. At the end of the tournament, the New Zealand team of six to compete against Australia and Great Britain for the Macßobertson Shield in Britain will be announced. The last series, held in Australia, was won by Great Britain, but New Zealand had been successful on the previous occasion, at home in 1979. An excellent entry has been received for the N.Z.I. Finance Ltd. — sponsored championships, with two Australians, Creina Dawson (South Australia) and Damon Bridencope (New South Wales), joining more than 60 New Zealand players in competition at the United, Fendalton and Elmwood greens. The' five most tightly handicapped players are the Hawke’s Bay duo, John Prince and Joseph Hogan, the Wellington pair, Paul Skinley and Ashley Heenan, and Bob Jackson, of Auckland. All are assessed at minus four.

As many as 10 players can hold high hopes of selection in the New Zealand team for the overseas trip in June.

Prince and Skinley are two favoured candidates. Prince has played in five Macßobertson Shield series, his first being in 1963, and the experienced Hastings competitor proved that he was still among the best with his victory in the president’s first eight tournament in Rotorua last November.

Second in that event was Skinley, last year’s national open singles title-holder and the country’s top ranked player. He has competed in the last two triangular test series.

Jackson, seven times the New Zealand men’s singles table tennis champion in the 19505, has shown a deft hand with the mallet since turning to croquet. The Auckland veteran,

equal third at Rotorua in the president’s tournament, might well make the New Zealand team for a third time: he previously played in the Macßobertson Shield series in 1974 and 1979. He and Hogan won the national men’s doubles last year.

Canterbury has two very good prospects in Roger Murfitt and Graham Beale, both of whom played in the president’s first eight competition. Murfitt had a good win against Jackson and Beale made a great comeback to down Skinley by a point in that tournament.

Murfitt has experience on his side, having played for New Zealand in 1974, 1979 and in Australia four years ago. Murfitt gained valuable match practice last week when he retained his South Island doubles title with Hogan in Timaru. He also made the second-life final of the men’s championship.

As well as practising hard, Murfitt has been trying to motivate himself for a good start which he considers essential for his confidence.

The youthful Beale, who was runner-up in the 1984 New Zealand championship, is among the most promising players in the country. He has yet to represent New Zealand, but the Teachers’ College student has the chance to change that position with good results at the championships.

A relative newcomer to the sport, Graeme Roberts (Wellington), made the New Zealand side in 1982 and

was in good touch at the South Island championships where he finished runner-up to Hogan in the open championship. Hogan’s performances to win the South Island open singles and doubles titles last week earn him the utmost respect, and he has strong claims for gaining inclusion in the national side for a third successive Macßobertson Shield series.

Tony Stephens (Dannevirke), who represented New Zealand in croquet in 1963 before concentrating on athletics for some years, has re-established himself in top croquet circles, while Robert Bartholomaeus (Feilding) and Chris Robertson (Otago) are also pressing hard for national selection for the first time.

Bartholomaeus, who came from Australia about three years ago, won the North Island men’s championship and the youthful Robertson beat a good field to win the South Island men’s title. As well he topped the field in the president’s second eight tournament in Ashburton last November.

The well-performed Susan Grigg, a determined competitor, will be Canterbury’s best prospect in the women’s championships, although she will be opposed by leading North Island players.