Formidable badminton team from England

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 32

Formidable badminton team from England

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Canterbury’s top badminton players, having performed with distinction at the Wisden Cup national championships last month, face a decidedly tougher challenge when they meet England’s under 23 team at the Skellerup Hall on Friday evening. The English side will be a much harder proposition than last year’s Danish team. The form displayed by the players in Australia on their way to New Zealand indicates clearly that even the full national team will have its work cut out to match the skill, pace and touch of the tourists. Australia beat New Zealand, 9-7, to take back the Whyte Trophy in Perth. The English team then beat Australia, 7-3 and 7-2 in international contests in Perth and Geelong. England’s challenge will be led by the 17-year-old Darren Hall, who is regarded as his country’s brightest prospect for several years. Hall won the singles final at the Silver Bowl tournament in Melbourne, and on Sunday beat New Zealand’s top player

Graeme Robson, to win the international tournament at Auckland.

Coached by his uncle, Ray Stevens, a doubles silver medallist with Mike Tredgett at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games nine years ago, Hall revealed his fighting qualities against Robson.

Leading 14-2, he allowed the gifted Aucklander to win 12 consecutive points, before lifting his performance to take the title. Andy Goode, another top prospect, impresses as an extremely talented performer. He accounted for the hard-working Australian, Darren McDonald, 15-4, 15-5 in Melbourne and is, with Nigel Tier, a top-class doubles player. The pair are among the leading combinations in Britain, and proved far too strong for New Zealand’s best in Australia. They beat Phil Horne and Steve Wilson, 15-11,15-6, in the Silver Bowl final, having earlier toppled Robson and Chris Bullen, 15-10, 15-9. Tier, a tall, very fast player, stands out for his incisive racket work around the net.

The remaining men, Richard Outterside and David Roebuck, a probing left-

hander, are a lively doubles combination. Gillian Gowers and Gillian Clark stand well above their team-mates, in the women’s team in terms of singles ability. Miss Gowers just 18, beat Miss Clark

easily in the Silver Bowl final, but Miss Clark, who is rated above Miss Gowers in England, reversed that loss with an equally convincing win in Auckland last Sunday. New Zealand’s top singles player, Toni Whittaker, did have her chances against Miss Clark in Australia, before going down in three sets. However, it is hard to see any of Canterbury’s players being able to press the English to such an extent. The women’s team also includes Wendy Massam and Fiona Elliot, a more than useful doubles team. While Canterbury can realistically hope for nothing more than an honest showing, its young team will certainly learn from the experience.

For one of them, Jane Clarke, it will be the first of three appearances against England. She has been- included in the South Island team which will play the English at Dunedin on Saturday, and also in the national under 23 side which will do battle in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Peter Whiting and Alison Ross, Canterbury’s top singles players, will also appear for the South Island. Ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, in the country, they will be well aware that strong showings from them could count when the national teams to compete in the Thomas and Über Cup competitions are selected later this year.

The zone finals for both events will be held in Hong Kong early next year. Good performances against international opposition, coupled with impressive displays at the North and South Island championships, and the national tournament at the end of August, could affect the selectors’ thinking on the composition of the teams.