Badminton field depleted

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 42

Badminton field depleted

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Nine of the 20 players to be accorded national rankings by the New Zea-

land Badminton Federation last year will be absent when the national championships begin in the Skellerup Hall on September 2. Most of those who will miss the championships will be overseas, including three members of New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games team, Kerrin Harrison, Phil Horne and Katrin Lockey, all from North Shore. New Zealand’s involvement in badminton at the Edinburgh Games will end on August 1. However, those three players are intending to stay and compete overseas in the northern winter.

Three other men who gained places in New Zealand’s top 10 last year, will also be away. John Miles (ranked fifth), has injured an Achilles tendon; Steve Lobb, also of Auckland, who was ranked ninth, has been transferred to Malaysia; and Miles Atkinson, of North Shore, the tenthranked player, has not entered.

Jane Clarke, of Canterbury, who has been living in Auckland for several months, was ranked third last year, behind Toni Whittaker, of Auckland, and Lockey. Clarke will be overseas, as will Lynne Blgnell (Auckland, equal sixth) and Waikato’s Marlene Landon (ranked tenth). Nevertheless, there will still be enough quality players in the field to

guarantee solid competition. Whittaker will be looking to retain the title she won for the first time last year at Hastings. Her strongest opposition is likely to come from her Commonwealth Games team-mate, Karen Phillips, ranked fourth last

year, Sandra Henare, and j Linda Persson, both from i Auckland. < < Henare had a ranking ; of five last year, while the talented Persson won the New Zealand title in 1984. 1 Her immediate future as i one of the country’s best i

players seemed assured, until she suffered extensive injuries in a motorcycle accident later that year. ' . I Her recbvery has been frustratingly slow, and she missed a' New Zealand ranking , last year, through

a lack of tournament play. However, she should be capable of putting

out a determined challenge. Julie Still, the Otagobased Aucklander who played for Canterbury in the Wisden Cup teams’ national tournament this season, Bronwen Roberts and her Auckland provincial team-mate, Katherine Hauer, will also be competing. All three hold New Zealand rankings.

Graeme Robson will return from Edinburgh aiming for his fourth New Zealand singles title. Ranked No. 2 in the country behind the multi-tal-ented Horne, Robson will have stiff opposition from Glen Stewart, the tall Auckland left-hander, who was a late inclusion in the Commonwealth Games team.

Stewart, ranked fourth and the Canterbury open champion three years ago; Ryan Whittle, the sixth-ranked Aucklander, who won three South Island titles in the Skellerup Hall in 1984; Kevin Ross (Wanganui, seventh) and Jacob van Seim (Waitemata, eighth), will all have hopes that in a year when the field is substantially depleted they might have prospects of claiming their first open singles crown.

Seedings for the championships will be done by the national selectors, Messis Murray Weatherstone, Paul Skelt and Mrs Vai Gow, and are expected to be released later this week.