BADMINTON

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 683, 7 June 1929, Page 13

BADMINTON

PROGRESS OF THE GAME MANY NEW CLUBS By “Shuttle** In the past two years Badminton ! has made wonderful progress, and in the neighbourhood of Auckland this progress has been particularly marked in recent months. New clubs have been started at Otahuhu, Alfriston, Manurewa, Helensville, and, last of all. at Morrinsville. There is a very strong club at Mangere, and a second which plays in the same hall on different days of the week. In the city there are several clubs, nf which the strongest is the Auckland Club, playing at Parnell. The rise of new clubs will not be accompanied by the desired improvement in the standard of play, unless players in the stronger clubs realise their responsibilities to the weaker ones, and give up a night or two occasionally to visits and exchanges of play. AVhat may be done by coaching has been demonstrated at Mangere, where the original club is now the strongest in New Zealand. The men would perhaps not stand up to a Parnell team, although in Dart. Ellett brothers and Kissling, the Mangere Club could present a strong four; but the Mangere women are so well grounded in the principles of the game that in inter-club matches, they should carry all before them. Their play in mixed doubles in the back and front formation is pretty to watch. Misses D. Ellett, K. Waters and Solomon (2) are all immensely improved players. PROMISING YOUTH A lad of great promise is Ivan Ellett, a 17-year-old Mangere boy who has a good range of strokes, and in | a year or two should be seriously ehalj longing the Dominion champions. His brother, C. Ellett, put up a good performance against a very strong player in T. Kelly in the singles at the North- j era tournament this week. Ellett is j strong overhead, and combines this asset with tactical strength and skill at the net. 111 the second set .[.gainst Kelly he hardly showed his best. Kelly, on the other hand, was improving with each rally, and his concealed drop shots were a big factor in his success. The final between him and E. Dart should provide a great exhibition. The tennis players whom the Auckland Club .recruited this year have shown steady improvement. Griffiths is perhaps the most improved, but Tanks and McFarlane have also made good progress and made a good doubles pair at Mangere. Langguth, president of the Auckland Club, struck a patch of effective smashing in the game against this pair. The well-known University tennis players, Misses P. and D. Miller, have joined the Auckland Club, and should be more than useful before the end of the season. Both are active, and, furthermore, are strong hitters. LEFT-HANDERS The difficulty of making an effective combination between right and lefthanders seemed to be illustrated at Mangere in the matches in which Paul and K. H. Wilson, both left-handers, figured. Without a hard and fast arrangement, effective combination under the circumstances is not easy to achieve. On the other hand, once achieved, it has a strength greater through its unorthodox methods. The usual weaknesses cannot be exploited against a well-drilled pair playing different hands. But the hard and fast arrangement is essential, as lacking it the players are liable to rush about in pairs, leaving yawning gaps in the court. Wilson has a good action, and, like Martin,, the Auckland player, may prove to be a natural stylist. Inquiries have been received from Wellington, where there are two strong clubs, concerning the New Zealand championships. D. France and N. Wilson, two well-known tennis players, are among the prominent Badminton players tbere. From* Wanganui both Meredith and L. Wilson, holders of the doubles title, are exceed for the championship tournament.