Champions In Powerful Form

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 5

Champions In Powerful Form

Powerful play by the Canterbury women’s doubles champions, Miss B. Gormack and Mrs A. Ryan, saved their team, Selwyn, from almost certain defeat in the fourth round of the A grade interchib badminton competition.

With one match to play, Army led Selwyn by four games to three, as well as holding a 23-point margin. But Miss Gormack and Mrs Ryan were in commanding form and swept Mrs N. Forbes and Miss O. Williams aside in straight sets, with the loss of only three points, to give Selwyn the match by the slender margin of , four points.

W. Edgecumbe and R. Serra (Army) dominated the men’s section, but Mrs Ryan and Miss Gormack were just as successful for Selwyn in the women’s game: they lost only five points between them in six sets.

The narrow win kept Selwyn among the leaders for the A grade championship. Railway A and Knox A both had big wins to remain unbeaten, while Christchurch overcame Avonside, 5-3, after a stern tussle. University won only two scets from the strong Knox A team, although Miss S. A. Ching pressed Miss E. Stevenson closely in the women’s singles match. E. Ogier and Miss S. Field had too much in reserve for their opponents, and B. W. Croft’s generalship carried him through against G. G. Ford.

The veteran left-hander, D. B. Reid, achieved the vital break-through for Christchurch when his team’s match with Avonside was neatly balanced at two-all.

Reid was down, 9-11, in the third set to a determined S. F. C. Clarke, and from the demeanour of the players it seemed that Clarke was likely to gan an upset win. But Reid answered the challenge with a run of crisp overhead clears and subtle net shots to win six more points and the match. P. V. Boatwood and Mrs M. Brown brought Avonside back into consideration with a good three-set win against B. E. Wylie and Mrs Wylie, but Reid and Miss N. Baty were always in command in the final mixed doubles.

In spite of its determined attacking, Railway B lost by a wide margin to the club’s A team. Only Miss R. Waites, the new Canterbury division I representative, won a match, although both mixed doubles were keenly and closely contested.

The shuttle was punched back and forth vigorously when A. G. Duckmanton, of the A team, beat M. Ford in a spectacular and entertaining match. K. Hawkins, the second man in the B team, was unable to stand the freemoving R. Miller to the same extent. Scores: — Selwyn 179 pts.. Army 175 pts. R. Hall lost to W. Edgecumbe, 3-15, 8-15; H. Williams lost to R. Serra, 4-15, 5-15; Hall and William'S lost to Edgecumbe and Serra, 9-15, 8-15. Miss B. Gormack beat Miss O. Williams, 11-0, 11-1; Mrs A. Ryan bgat Mrs N. Forbes, 11-0, 11-1; Miss Gormack and Mrs Ryan beat Miss Williams and Mrs Forbes, 15-1, 15-2. Hall and Miss Gormack lost to Edgecumbe and Mrs Forbes, 8-15, 15-7, 1-15; Williams and Mrs Ryan beat Serra and Miss Williams, 11-15, 18-17, 15-11. Knox A 8, University 0 B. W Crofts beat G. G. Ford, 15-2, 13-15, 15-11; E. Ogier beat

Llm Sang Meng. 15-2, 15-7: Crofts and Ogier beat Ford and Um Sang Meng. 15-11. 15-7.

Miss S. Field beat Miss L. Tucker, 11-6, 11-0: Miss E. Stevenson beat Miss S. Cblng. 11-9, 12-9; Misses Field and Stevenson beat Misses Tucker and Ching, 15-7. 15-4. Crofts and Miss Stevenson beat Ford and Miss Ching, 15-4, 15-9: Ogier and Miss Field beat Lim Sang Meng and Miss Tucker, 17-18, 15-0, 15-2. Railway A 7. Railway 8 1 A. G. Duckmanton beat M. Ford, 15-11. 15-12: R. Miller beat K. Hawkins, 15-6, 15-1: Duckmanton and Miller beat Ford and Hawkins, 15-7. 16-17. 15-5. Mrs M. Miller lost to Miss R. Waites. 8-11, 7-11; Miss D. French beat Miss E. Chandler. 11-3, 11-6: Mrs Miller and Miss French beat Misses Waites and Chandler 15-6, 15-7. Duckmanton and Mrs Miller beat Hawkins and Miss Chandler, 15-9, 18-17; Miller and Miss French beat Ford and Miss Waites, 15-6, 11-15, 15-11. Christchurch 5, Avonsld* 3 B. E. Wylie lost to P. V. Boatwood, 3-15, 13-18; D. B. Reid beat S. F. C. Clarke, 15-9, 17-18 15-11; Wylie and Reid lost to Boatwood and Clarke, 9-15, 10-15. Mrs M. Wylie beat Mrs M Brown, 11-3, 12-10; Miss N. Baty beat Mrs P. Boatwood, 11-3 11-1; Mrs Wylie and Miss Baty beat Mesdames Brown and Boatwood, 11-15. 15-8, 15-8. Wylie and Mrs Wylie lost to Boatwood and Mrs Brown 15-11 Reld and Miss Baty beat 15 3 FkC Hnd Mr * Boatwood ’

Railway A .. w 3 L 0 F 20 4 Pts 3 Knox A 3 0 20 4 3 Selwyn 3 1 17 15 3 Chch. 3 1 22 10 3 Avonslde .. 2 2 20 12 2 Railway B .. 2 2 13 19 2 Army 0 3 9 15 0 University .. 0 4 7 25 0 Knox B 0 3 0 24 0