BADMINTON TOURNEY

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1935, Page 3

BADMINTON TOURNEY

NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. NEW PLYMOUTH EVENTS. The North Island and Taranaki badminton championship tournament at New Plymouth next week promises to be one of the most/successful fixtures in recent years. With the installation of special lighting at the Coronation Hall play will be conducted under ideal playing conditions. In addition to the majority of the Taranaki clubs being represented by promising players, leading players from the centres will make the tourney worthy of the North Island title involved. Handley, Wanganui, will attend to defend the Taranaki men’s singles title which he won last year. Fow, Hamilton, the present New Zealand singles champion will be playing. With Mrs. Fow in the mixed doubles he reached the finals at the Dominion tournament last year at Wanganui. Added interest in the tournament this year will be the participation of the men and women’s 1934 Southland singles champions, who are travelling from Invercargill at the invitation of the Taranaki association. It is understood that this will be the first occasion that South Island players have taken part in a North Island tournament and as the standard of play in the south is particularly high, their prospects of success are indeed bright. Neale, who played second for Auckland against Waikato last month, is a stylish player and is expected to compete. The Western Districts and Waikato association intend sending strong representatives while several A grade players from Wellington will also make the trip. The organisation for the tournament is well in hand and as entries close on Wednesday, at 8 p.m., it is expected that the draw for all events will be available on Friday next. The request previously made for clubs affiliated to the Taranaki association to suspend play during the tournament has met with general agreement and this arrangement will enable all members to attend the tournament.

The C grade championship events are | principally for first year players, alI though there is no restriction for these I players also entering in a higher grade as we)l. A. ( Le Bran, Waitara club’s top man, although eligible for play in the C grade has intimated that he will be entering for both the A and B singles as well to gain experience from play with those in the top flight and this action is typical of the interest taken- by players in some of the smaller clubs. Kaimiro is probably the most enthusiastic club although formed only this year and is entering some 15 players in the juniorgrades. The handicapping principle followed in games of 21 up is that the handicaps range from owe 20 to receive 17. This gives the lower grade player a much better opportunity and more interesting games because the average C grade player has difficulty to win the service from the opposition and then score from his own service. The above principle holds good for all the other events with a slight adjustment in the case of games of 15 up. To assist country clubs entry fees have been reduced and in consequence are much lower than those charged by other tournaments. Cups have been secured for all events, including the handicaps, and these trophies, which are now on show, make a striking array. The New Plymouth Club’s championships and handicaps are now well advanced, Mrs. C. J. E. Smith being the winner of the women’s championship singles. She defeated Miss J. MacGregor in the final by the comfortable margin of 11—3, 11—1. H. M. Purser (owe 15) won the men’s handicap singles when he secured a win over C. Aroa (owe 6) by 21—18. Both played excellent badminton and as the game lasted li hours Purser’s fitness was largely responsible for his success. The events still to be played are as follows: Men’s championship singles, Collinge v. Purser; men’s championship doubles, Blakeney and Purser v. Wilton and Aroa and winners v. Collinge and Little; men’s handicap doubles, Purser and Ewart v. Gregory and Bennett and winners v. Wilton and Aroa; women s handicap singles, Mrs. Wilton (owe 3) v. Miss Webster (rec. 6); women's championship doubles, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Wilton v. Misses Griffin and Bullock; winners v. Misses Wells and MacGregor; mixed championship doubles, Collinge and Mrs. Smith v. Clifford-Jones and Miss Abraham;'women’s handicap doubles. Mrs. Smith and Miss Mann v. Mrs. Wilton and Miss MacGregor; combined handicap doubles, Aroa and Miss MacGregor v. Gregory and Miss Wells; winners v. Little and Mrs. Smith. As is customary the New Plymouth club’s activities will conclude with the North Island tournament and the club will have its final night of play next Friday. Other clubs in the province, ■ however, will continue play probably until the end of September. | The final match of the Spalding Shield l series will be played to-night at Ha- | wera when New Plymouth club, the

winner of the northern zone, will meet Hawera, the finalist of the southern section. Both clubs will be playing their strongest teams and an interesting contest is expected. The prospects of both teams are even with a slight advantage in Hawera’s favour on account of the match being held on its own courts, '