Badminton leader averts defeat

Press, 23 May 1988, Page 32

Badminton leader averts defeat

Air New Zealand II narrowly avoided defeat in the A grade badminton on Saturday to retain its lead in the competition.

Playing fourth-ranked South Brighton, Air N.Z. II struggled to a four-all draw and just managed to win on countback, nine games to eight. South Brighton was assisted early in the clash, when Air N.Z. Il’s Paula Thorpe defaulted to Valda Adams because of a knee injury. The teams were level after the singles and it was in the mixed doubles that South Brighton leapt ahead.

Adams and Neil Barns took Greg Bray and Thorpe to three sets before winning 1215, 15-3, 15-9, while Heather Lewis and Mark Revis had an uneventful victory over Katherine Neame and Derek McNicholl. The men’s and women’s doubles started together with South Brighton needing just one more win to cause an upset. The tight teamwork of Thorpe and Neame in the women’s doubles was too much for the South Brighton pair Adams and Lewis who were forced into errors.

After going down 11-15 in

the first set they succumbed 6-15 in the second. It was left to the men to decide the outcome and neither pair was ready to give way. Although the slippery floor caused problems, spectators were treated to long, , fast rallies.

The flamboyant style of South Brighton’s Revis kept the Air N.Z. II pair on the run, but it wasn’t enough to hold them back from taking the first set 17-16. Revis and Barns became nervous in the second set, when the speed of Bray was too much for them, and they lost, 15-9. The win by Air N.Z. II put it 11 points ahead of its nearest rival, Bryndwr, 11, which had an easy 7-1 win over the bottom team, Christchurch 11, on Saturday.

The other close battle in round seven was between Railway-Lincoln and Hagley I which drew four all, eight sets all. Rail-Lincoln had the final edge on a countback of points, winning 180 points to 177 points. Rail-Lincoln’s men, Peter Mundy and Geoff Miller both played well, winning their singles and the men’s doubles.

For Hagley I, Liz Henson and Jenny Andrews were strong, also winning singles and doubles. The Bryndwr I-Hagley II tie was characterised by close games. Bryndwr I’s Debbie Shellock battled for three sets with Rowan Adam before going down 8-11, 12-11, 6-11, while her team-mate Dave Ralston fought to beat John Powell 15-11, 18-15. Adam and Lindsay Dick were the only ones to win games for Hagley II which lost 2-6. The third-ranked Air N.Z. I had an easy 6-2 win over Christchurch I. The only close game was when Christchurch I’s Robyn Haley and Gillian Barns beat Dianne Smith and Leanne Buchan 18-13, 17-16.

Results. —Air N.Z. II 4, beat South Brighton 4 on countback 9-8: Greg Bray beat Neil Barns, 15-7, 15-12; Derek

McNicholl lost to Mark Revis, 13-15, 0-15; Paula Thorpe lost to Valda Adams, by default; Katherine Neame beat Heather Lewis 11-4, 11-1; Bray and McNicholl beat Barns and Revis, 17-16, 15-9; Thorpe and Neame beat Adams and Lewis 15-11, 15-6; Bray and Thrope lost to Adams and Barns 15-12, 3-15, 9-15; McNicholl and Neame lost to Lewis and Revis 5-15, 8-15.

Bryndwr II 7, beat Christchurch II 1: Mark Reid lost to Dean Lester 15-8, 8-15, 12-15; Phillip Healey beat Scott Ronald 11-15, 15-8, 15-9; Megan Williams beat Terri Perry 11-3, 11-9; Tamoka Nakadate beat Joanne Tucker 11-8, 11-2; Reid and Healey beat Lester and Ronald 15-8, 15-2; Williams and Nakadate beat Perry and Tucker 15-5, 4-15, 15-11; Reid and Williams beat Lester and Perry 15-12, 7-15, 15-3; Healey and Nakadate beat Ronald and Tucker 15-11, 15-9. Bryndwr I 6, beat Hagley II 2: Mark Chambers beat Brian Williams 15-11, 15-12; Dave Ralston beat John Powell, 1511, 18-15; Debbie Shellock lost to Rowan Adam 8-11, 1211, 6-11; Trish Ralston lost to Lindsay Dick 9-12, 3-11; Chambers and Ralston beat Williams and Powell 15-13, 15-12; Shellock and Ralston

beat Adam and Dick 18-17, 15-6; Chambers and Shellock beat Williams and Adam 1813, 15-10; Ralston and Ralston beat Powell and Dick 15-5, 15-6.

Christchurch I 2, lost to Air N.Z. I 6: Nick Leeming lost to Graeme Sercombe 4-15, 7-15; Dave Lindsay lost to Andrew Duckmanton 3-15, 10-15; Robyn Haley beat Dianne Smith 11-4, 11-1; Gillian Barns lost to Leanne Buchan 6-11, 1-11; Leeming and Linday lost to Sercombe and Duckmanton 3-15, 10-15; Haley and Barns beat Smith and Buchan 18-13, 17-16; Leeming and Haley lost to Sercombe and Smith 11-15, 415; Lindsay and Barns lost to Duckmanton and Buchan 1 fl--15, 5-15.

Railway-Lincoln 4, beat Hagley I 4 on countback 180 points to 177: Peter Mundy beat Mike Porter 15-4, 15-6; Geoff Miller beat Graeme Rogers 15-12, 15-10; Karen Rogers lost to Liz Henson 011, 1-11; Liz Morrish lost to Jenny Andrews 4-11, 10-12; Mundy and Miller beat Porter and Rogers 15-11, 17-14; Rogers and Morrish lost to Henson and Andrews 11-15, 14-18; Miller and Rogers beat Porter and Henson 15-6, 15-6; Mundy and Morrish lost to Rogers and Andrews 11-15, 115.

Points table: W L Pts Air N.Z. I 5 2 63 Air N.Z. II 7 0 76 Bryn. YMCA I 4 3 56 Bryn. YMCA II 5 2 67 Christchurch I 3 4 46 Christchurch II 0 7 15 Hagley I 2 5 40 Hagley II 1 6 26 Railway-Lincoln 4 3 46 South Brighton 4 3 55