BADMINTON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23225, 24 June 1937, Page 4

BADMINTON

By Shuttle CLUB HOURS Balmacowen. —Mondays Wednesdays, and Fridays. Camac.—Mondays Wednesdays and Saturdays Dunedin.—Mondays and Thursdays. Dunedin Twenty.—Courts closed. Maori Hill.—Tuesdays Thursdays, and Saturdays. United.—Courts closed. University.—Wednesday nights. CAMAC HAPPENINGS Several members of the Dunedin, Dunedin Twenty. United and Balmacewen Clubs have visited the Camac Club during the past week, and on practice nights the courts have been the scene of great activity. Recent visitors included Mr and Mrs G. R. Dickinson, Mrs Edgar and A Hart, of the Dunedin Club, R. Craik (United) and W. Abbott (Dunedin Twenty). In a game between Dickinson and Mrs Dickinson and Dillon and Miss C Emslie some excellent badminton was seen, the Camac pair eventually winning after a stern tussle. Another interesting contest was witnessed between Dickinson and Hart and Dillon and Lemin. the Camac players securing the victory after two sets had been played. Partnered by Miss C. Emslie, J. Swan, of the Twenty Club, had 1 a keenlv-contested game against Connor and Miss Werner, both pairs taking the lead in turn. The final score, however, resulted 5—4 in favour of Swan and Miss Emslie. One of the most promising junior players of the Camac Club, Miss M. Ballantyne has shown a decided improvement in her play of late, and in several hard games in which she has participated recently she has given her partners admirable support. SOUTH END CLUB With the extension of its premises to the Marigold Salon, the South End Club has decided to add badminton to its activities. As the club is primarily for boys and young men between the ages of 14 and 21. practice has o far been confined to club members. To add interest, however, the club has decided to open its court to the public on Tuesday and Thursday nights and to women in the afternoons. This should provide many followers of the game who are too far out of town to join a more central club an opportunity of keeping in practice. The size of the hall renders it most suitable for the popular sport, so that it should not bo long before the club has a keen and active membership and is able to enter into competition with the other teams in the association. A GRADE MATCHES The following is the draw for next Tuesday night’s A Grade matches:— Balmacewcn v. Camac. at Twenty 5 and 6. Dunedin B v. Dunedin, at Dunedin. United v. Twenty, at United 1 and 2. THE SERVICE IN SINGLES A sound principle to follow when playing Singles is to make use of the high service, but it should not be overdone. With the full length of the court to serve into as compared with the shorter length available in Doubles, the receiver’s chance of “ killing ” outright a really good-length service is comparatively small, even allowing for the width of court the server has to defend single-handed. On the other hand, by reason of this extra available length, the receiver must stand further back than he would in Doubles while waiting for the service, thus leaving a greater margin of safety for a short service. It is seldom, indeed, that a reasonably good short service can be rushed in a Single—only, in fact, when the receiver has had reason to expect it and has gambled on his intuition. The only real danger inherent to short services in a Single—unless they be used in excess —lies in the fact that the rceiver may, by a well-judged dropshot, secure a favourable attacking position. This danger is more than counterbalanced by the advantage derived from using short services sufficiently often to keep the opponent guessing and prevent him waiting as far back in court as he might do otherwise. The deep service should, however. certainly be the more frequent method of opening the rally. SHUTTLES The heavier shuttles recently adopted by the Hastings Club are to the average player a blessing (writes Drop Shot” in the Hawke’s Bay Herald-Tri-bune). With the new shuttle a satisfactory clearing shot does not always need the use of every ounce of strength and the necessary increase in the use of controlled shots will improve the sense of touch which many players Badminton spectators do not realise that the feathers in a shuttle act like the best of modern four-wheel brakes. If applied with a tennis racquet, the amount of strength in a full badminton shot would send a lawn tennis ball nearly 100 yards. It is the frequent and vapid succession of such shots which makes badminton such a strenuous pastime. For the benefit ol players who are not conversant with particulars regard-

ing the correct shuttles for play, rule 4 in the laws of badminton should be of interest. The rule states: —The shuttles shall weigh from 73 to 85 grains, and shall have 14 to 16 feathers fixed in a cork lin to lain in diameter The leathers shall be from 2jin to 2:1 in in length; shall have from to 2Jin spread at the top, and shall be firmly fastened and cemented at a height of about lin above the cork, with thread.—A shuttle shall be deemed to be of the correct pace if, 1 when a of average strength j strikes it with a full underhand stroke I with a reasonably tightly strung racquet from a spot immediately above | one back boundary line in a line parallel to the side lines, and at an upward angle of approximately 45deg., it falls between the opposite back boundary line and an imaginary line ] parallel to and approximately two feet short of the latter.

BADMINTON AND LAWN TENNIS After a winter’s badminton, lawn tennis players often complain that their rackets feel unweildy, but this strangeness does not last long. The similarity between certain strokes and tactics, as used in both games, is so marked that badminton is definitely a help to the lawn tennis playei’. Two common badminton strokes, the smash and the drop-shot, are played in similar fashion to the same shots on a lawn tennis court. Through the ,requent use of the overhead shot in badminton the player learns to watch the shuttle on to his racket, and this habit will follow him into the lawn tennis season. The smaller court used for the winter game makes accuracy a matter of inches rather than feet; thus the lawn tennis player learns to direct his overhead smash. For the same reason the sense of touch, so necessary for the more delicate tennis strokes, will be improved.

In badminton Doubles tactics and team-work are even more important than they are in tennis; their existence is thus brought home to the average tennis player, in whose positional play there is usually room for improvement. For improving speed of movement and physical fitness, essential attributes to success in any game, badminton is excellent. For this reason alone it would be well worth playing for those who wish to improve at tennis. This contention, that the two games go well together, is borne out by the fact that several of New Zealand’s leading badminton exponents are also very good tennis players. THE UNION CLUBS A friendly match between a team from the United Club and a team of Kaikorai Presbyterian Club players was played pn Monday night at Kaikorai. The visitors won by eight games to four and 168 points to 132, and took the Mixed Doubles, three of the Men’s Doubles, but lost three of the Women’s Doubles. United’s second men’s pair went under to Gilchrist and Parry 15 —% in the first men’s event of the evening. Swallow and Creeser, the visiting players’ first pair, won both their games decisively, superior craft, stroking, and combination showing the difference made by finesse and understanding Tn smashing and driving duels Adcock, Kaikorai’s top man, was an active and strong performer, and many rallies in which he figured were among the most enjoyable to watch, O Driscoll played more correctly and aggressively for United in his second mens game. Some good club form was displayed by various home competitors, who, however, more often than not found the opposition rather too stern. Miss W. Bartlett combined well in the Women’s Doubles, fully atoning for occasional errors with forceful play and by giving Miss Adcock the time needed for dealing with back-court shots. L. Swallow’s gene lal play for United was outstanding, but a number of competitors gave glimpses of stylish badminton. The scores of the games were as follows (United names first):—

Mixed Doubles.—Swallow and Miss Brown 15. Adcock and Miss B. Anderson 12; O’Driscoll and Miss Foster 15 Gilchrist and Miss C. Anderson 11; Morrison and Miss Love 18, Parry and Miss D. Adcock 14; Creeser and Mrs Creeser 15, Smith and Miss W. Bartlett 5.

Men’s Doubles. Swallow and Creeser 15, Adcock and Smith 1; Morrison and O’Driscoli 4, Gilchrist and Parry 15; Swallow and Creeser 15, Gilchrist and Parry 2; Morrison and O Driscoll 15, Adcock and Smith 11. Women’s Doubles.—Miss Brown and Mrs Creeser 15, Misses B. and C. Anderson 12; Misses Love and Foster 15, Misses Adcock and W. Bartlett 17; Misses Love and Foster 11. Misses B. and C. Anderson 15; Miss Brown and Mrs Creeser 15. Misses Adcock and W. Bartlett 17.

The Mornington Club’s court has been improved by removal of the anterooms, and lias been re-marked to the strict regulation area. With a clear run-back space, St. Mary’s Hall is now a fine badminton hall, with a smooth floor and excellent overhead clearance. Prominent players in this club at present are Misses Houston, Coxon, and Taylor (a new member), and Messrs J. Haig and C. Pickard (a new member). Doubles play rather than Singles is being concentrated on in the meantime at Mornington. Several alterations were made on the Mosgiel Club’s Singles ladders last Saturday. Five challenges were played, three being women’s and two men’s. A good even game finished when Miss T. Moodie beat Miss F. Hicks for second place with a 15—14 win. Miss D. Kaye, who has not been practising regularly, advanced to eighth position by beating Miss A. Stuart, while Miss V. Kaye went from fifth to fourth place by outpointing Miss J, Kingan. Challenger staved ofT Woolsey for a place in the B team, but Paterson displaced Owens from third to fourth position, with a clear-cut victory in a 21-up challenge.