BADMINTON COURTCRAFT

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1934, Page 12

BADMINTON COURTCRAFT

WHAT TARANAKI IS LACKING NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. kemp hawera club champion. (By “Shuttie.”) At this late stage in the season questions of stroking and tactics have little interest, but it may be appropriate to indicate how Taranaki stands m comparison with the rest of New Zealand. In technique Taranaki has as high a standard, practically, as other places, and it is in courtcraft that the province s best are inferior to other players. Courtcraft can only come with experience and practice against the best players It is not so much a question of knowing what to do but of doing it instinctively for the speed of gives little time for thought. When the North Island championships are held m New Plymouth next season players will have the opportunity of seeing the remarkable way in which the best players cover the court, anticipating practically every move in game While Taranaki is weak in this respect, the players, nevertheless, have no reason to be ashamed. To have attained such a measure of technical ability is a creditable achievement. New Zealand President.

Taranaki players will be pleased that Mr. N. A. Foden, a member of a Hawera family and a man well-known in the province’s tennis circles, is the new president of the association. The tennis tours of Taranaki arranged by Mr. Foden have shown not only his ability but also that his interest is not confined to the cities. The breadth of outlook that he possesses will serve him well as chief administrator during what promises to be a busy year—a year of expansion it is hoped. Taranaki Represented.

Taranaki is to have a voice in the control of badminton from now on. Mr. C. J. E. Smith, New Plymouth, whose remarkable enthusiasm has so much stimulated the growth of the game in the province, has been elected to the council. This is a matter for congratulation to Taranaki as well as,to Mr. Smith, and an honour to both. An English Visit.

There seems every likelihood of a tour of New Zealand by an English team being arranged in the near future. Mr. Foden, who is shortly to visit England, will conduct the negotiations, and his ability in arranging such events suggests that, if the project is at all possible, ana one can see no reason why it should not be, it will be arranged. Allocation of Championships.

While the allocation to New Plymouth of next year’s North Island championships must give every player in Taranaki great satisfaction, it presents a suitable opportunity for the unification of the province under one association, instead of under two, as at present Hawera is included in the Western Districts, controlled from Wanganui. When the South Taranaki clubs were formed, there was no Taranaki Association ana it was impossible to form an association there. So affiliation with Western Districts was proceeded with. To “Shuttle” at the final of the New Zealand championships at Wanganui on Saturday night, several New Zealand Council members expressed the hope that next year the province would be unified. New Zealand Championships.

Play in the finals of the New Zealand championships at Wanganui on Saturday night certainly may not have been up to the standard of two or three years ago, .when G. Martin, Auckland, was supreme. But it was good enough to show that Taranaki’s players still nave a long way to go for its representatives to reach recognition in the outside world. There was a subtlety, an elan and a finish about the play of the champions which, save in one or two cases, has ■' not yet characterised Taranaki s players. , . ~ Smashes were used only when they brooked of no answer. There was a studied science about the game, a deliberate saving of energy for any or the more speedy rallies. As an exhibition of badminton, the finals might not have satisfied all the purists. But as games, they were intensely hard-fought and attractive. . Harry Fow, Hamilton, the new singles champion, is the first man in six years not belonging to the Parnell Club, Auckland, to win the title. And though reach is generally counted an asset in badminton, Fow manages without. He is no more than an inch or two over five feet. What he lacks in inches, he makes up in mobility on the court. There has not yet been a player in New Zealand who can equal Fow in agility and courage. His clearing shots are perfection, and he forced Ivan Ellett, his opponent, into many errors in the final. The women’s champion, Miss JJeii Ellett, Auckland, has been champion many times, and she is one of the prettiest stylists it would be possible to imagine. Like all good singles players, her clearing shots are superb, but she iias also a delicate- cross-court drop and a powerful smash. Miss Ramsay, the other finalist, is the well-known Auckland tennis player. On the court, she is a model of concentration. Haw-era Season Ends.

' The Hawera Club’s season finished on Monday night with, most appropriately, the greatest surprise of the year in the defeat by Gordon Kemp, of Nelson Meuli, in the final of the men’s singles championship. Kemp all the year had bean trying to defeat Meuli for the top position' on the ladder, and though he did beat him once, on every other occasion he had to bow to a superior player. On Monday night, Kemp came out of his shell and after losing the first set and winning the second easily, he battled through the final set to a 15-12 victory. Exceedingly fine placing of heavy smashes, alternated with good clears and perfect drops from the back of the court, gave him the win. Meuli was consistently troubled throughout the match by the low ceiling, which, to a player of his type of game, meant the complete breakdown of normal methods of play. High serves to the back line, on which he relies to place himself on the attack,. hit the rafters with monotonous repetition, and on one occasion he served. no less than five times before the point could be fought. Consequently, towards the end, his serves were lower and shorter and an easy mark for Kemp’s smashes. Kemp, on the other hand, adopted himself much better to the conditions. His play was more errorless than Meuli s and his tactics won him the game. Nine times out of 10, on a good court, Meuh would beat Kemp. The women’s singles final, won by Miss E. Buist, was rather disappointing, Mi« A. Kemp failing to show her true form, a strained wrist having a good deal to do with her play. Miss Buist, nevertheless, showed remarkable fighting qualities, and her recoveries of many of Miss Kemp’s most delicate drop shots were excellent. Both cleared rather short, Miss Kemp especially erring in this respect. The men’s and the combined doubles finals were both good matches. Especial-

ly so was the men’s doubles, which went to three sets, Jones and Paterson beating Hewitt and Kemp. In the final set the victors had things all their own way, but in the first two sets, they had a difficult struggle, losing the second set by a point after being well ahead. In the combined doubles, Kemp and Miss M. Bright were much too good for Jones and Mrs. Jones. Kemp is especially good in combined doubles play. Miss Bright at the net made many snappy interceptions, and her smashing was excellent. Jones had a hard row to hoe, but he played splendidly, and was, in fact, the outstanding player of the four.

New Plymouth Club Events. New Plymouth Club events are nearing conclusion and will be finalised next week. Recent championship results are:— Men’s singles: Second round: Bennett beat Blakeney by default; Collinge beat Ninkie, 15-4, 15-9; Purser beat Little by default; Strombom beat Johnson, 15-7, 15-5. Semi-finals: Collinge beat Bennett, 15-8, 7-15, 15-8; Strombom beat Purser, 15-11, 6-15, 15-12. Women’s singles: Second round: Miss Wylds beat Miss Blackley, 11-9, H-2, Firth beat Miss Abraham, 11-1, 11-2; Miss Rawle beat Mrs. Wilton, 11-1, 11-1; Miss Medley beat Mrs. Smith, 11-1, 11-8. Semi-finals: Miss Wylds beat Miss Firth, 11-4 11-7; Miss Rawle beat Miss Medley, 11-2, 11-5. Men’s doubles: Semi-finals: Collinge and Blackley beat Strombom and Bennett, 15-7, 15-11; Ninkie and. Little beat Johnson and Skelton, 15-7, 15-7. Women’s doubles: First round: Mrs. Morgan and Miss Blackley beat Misses Firth and Lobb, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6. Semifinals: Misses Wylds and Rawle beat Mesdames Smith and Wilton, 11-0, 8-11, 11-4; Misses Griffen and F. Bullock beat Mrs. Morgan and. Miss Blackley, 11-9, 11-5. Final: Misses Wylds and Rawle beat Misses Griffen and Bullock, 11-2, 11-2. Combined doubles: Second round: Strombom and Miss Wylds beat Holly and Miss Bullock, 21-19; Ninkie and Miss Lobb beat Little and Mrs. Smith, 15-12, 15-14. Semi-finals: Strombom and Miss Wylds beat Ninkie and Miss Lobb, 21-10; Bennett and Miss Griffen beat Purser and Miss Rawle, 21-13. Semi-finals in handicap events resulted: — Men’s singles: Ninkie (owe 10) beat Little (owe 7), 21-15. Women’s singles: Miss Firth (owe 15) beat Miss O’Sullivan (9), 15-10. Women’s doubles: Misses Abraham and Rawle (owe 9) beat Misses Sheat and Wells (8), 15-10. Combined doubles: Purser and Mrs. Morgan (owe 9) beat Thomson and Miss Firth (owe 12), 21-12.