More Teams In Senior Grade Table Tennis

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 13

More Teams In Senior Grade Table Tennis

TWELVE teams, instead of the usual eight, will contest the Canterbury Table Tennis Association’s A grade inter-club competition, which begins on Monday evening. One complete round will be played, and then the competition will be split into two sections, with the top six teams in one section and the bottom six in the other, and a complete round will be played again within each section. The addition of another four teams to the competition will be received with mixed feelings. Some of the leading players will consider

that the standard will be lowered, while others will welcome the introduction ol|

new players into the grade. Those who will oppose the increase in team numbers will be doing so on grounds which are basically selfish. The four new teams consist mainly of promising younger players, and it is with these players that the future of the game rests in Canterbury. The top senior players do little to encourage the juniors, so the introduction of the juniors into the top grade will make up for this to some extent. Competing The 10 ranked Canterbury men from last season will all be competing again, as will . most of those who came close to ranking. The Selwyn team • including V. N. Brightwell and T. R. D Flint, winner of the grade for the last seven seasons, will again include the intermediate, R. B. McCallum, as its third player. Wallabies will be fielding two strong teams. One will include R. G. Hart, J. Lelliott and K. J. Cassidy. Lelliott formerly played for Avon--1 side, and Cassidy was last year's A reserve champion. : The other Wallabies team, formerly Avon, will comprise N. B. Radford. K. F. I Stevenson, and M. A. Cox. and this is the team most likely to upset Selwyn this season.

The return of P. S. Alexander. formerly fourthranked in the province and national junior champion, will strengthen the competition. He will play for University I with D. D. M. ■ Stewart. J. A. Dowie. and D. ’ Hill. University II will in--1 cuude G. M. Leech. G. W. ■ Makinson, and H. P. Holt, l ... .....

These three players, all of I whom played for Canterbury B last season, beat higher-ranked players in the ! recent summer competition. 1 J. Armstrong and Mrs J. t Shadbolt will again be playt ing for Eagles I. and will be - joined by D. V. Fisher in 1 place of Miss J. Williamson. . Eagles II will comprise B. D. . P. Williamson, playing in the - competition for the first time . in eight seasons, and Mes- . dames A. Williamson and J. t Prisk. Mrs Prisk was fors merly a national-ranked player and national women’s

doubles champion with Miss Williamson. The two Avonside teams in the A grade appear even in strength Avonside I includesL. Elia. R. J. Scott, and Miss F. Inglis, and the number two team has K. Whaanga, A. Watt, and Mrs T. May. Miss Inglis, a former nationally-ranked player, has recently returned from overseas and Watt has transferred from Dunedin, where he had a fine record as a junior. R. J. Orr, N. C. Orr and J. O. Moen will again play in the Linwood team. Two of the younger teams in the competition will be University 111 and Dallington. University 111 includes J. Atvars. an experienced player, R. Howe and M, Coppen. Howe played for Canterbury B in 1959. and Coppen was a junior representative player last season. In the Dallington team are D. Kalin. D. Mcßride, and P. Wylie, three well-performed juniors. : Interesting The return* to competition play of Alexander. Wiliam- . son. Miss Ingus, and Mrs . Prisk, and the promotion of • a number of promising i younger players, should make . this competition more inter- . esting than in previous sea- • sons. It has been complained > in the past that the same . players are in the A grade . every year, and it will be . interesting to see what prol gress is made by the younger : entrants this season.