EASTLAND maintained fifth position out of nine teams after the final round of the 2017 inter-association super veterans Division 2 badminton competition in Hamilton last Saturday.
They lost 9-0 to Manawatu and 6-3 to Waikato.
Team members were Ron Prebble, Linda White and Ruth Ledger from the Patutahi club; Kevin Lee and Helen Morley from the Gisborne club; and loan players Matheus Batlajeri from Manawatu and Maurice Smith from Waikato.
Annabelle Riwaka and Sheree Gray were unavailable.
In the morning, Eastland played Manawatu, who were second on the leaderboard.
In the men’s doubles, all Eastland’s pairings lost in two games.
Lee and Batlajeri came back in their second game, losing narrowly, 22-20.
Lee combined with Prebble and they, too, put up a fight in the second game before losing 21-19.
Manawatu also won all the women’s doubles.
The mixed doubles matches were more exciting. All matches went to three games.
Morley, returning to the super veterans’ team for the first time this year, combined with Smith. They lost the first game 21-16, won the second 21-19, and lost the third 21-16.
Next up were new combination Lee and Ledger. They lost the first game, won the second 21-18 but lost the third 21-16.
Last on the courts were Prebble and White, who lost their first game, won the second 21-18 and lost the third.
In the afternoon, against Waikato, Batlajeri and Smith were first up in the men’s doubles. They lost their first game 21-16, changed tactics in the second and won 21-11, and won a see-sawing third game 22-20.
Batlajeri and Prebble narrowly lost their first game 22-20, fought back well to win the second 21-17, but lost the third 21-15.
Lee and Prebble lost the first game and, although they fought back well in the second, they could not take the win.
In the women’s doubles, Ledger and Morley lost the first game 21-15 and the second 21-17 despite a determined effort.
Ledger and White won their match in two games, 21-18 and 21-18.
Morley and White lost their first game 21-15. They changed their tactics for the second and were beaten only after a tense struggle, 24-22.
At this stage, Waikato led four matches to two.
In the mixed doubles, Smith and Morley lost their first game 21-19 and their second, 21-16.
Lee and Ledger lost their first game 22-20 and won the second 21-17. Waikato changed their tactics for the third game and won 21-19.
In the final match, Prebble and White played consistently to win in two games 21-18 and 21-17.
Manawatu 9 Eastland 0
Doubles — Men: Ron Prebble/Kevin Lee lost to Simon Allan/Nick Miller 14-21 19-21; Lee/Matheus Batlajeri lost to Allan/Ian Angove 14-21 20-22; Maurice Smith/Batlajeri lost to Angove/Miller 17-21 11-21.
Women: Linda White/Helen Morley lost to Joan Hilder/Mary Roberts 15-21 7-21; White/Ruth Ledger lost to Hilder/Rosemary Asplin 11-22 14-21; Morley/Ledger lost Sue McDowell/Asplin 16-21 11-21.
Mixed: Prebble/White lost to Allan/Roberts 10-21 21-18 11-21; Lee/Ledger lost to Miller/Hilder 10-21 21-18 16-21; Smith/Morley lost to Angove/McDowell 16-21, 21-19, 16-21.
Waikato 6 Eastland 3
Doubles — Men: Prebble/Lee lost to Ivor Holland/Paul Stobbs 7-21 18-21; Prebble/Batlajeri lost to Holland/Andrew Chan 20-22 21-17 15-21; Smith/Batlajeri defeated Stobbs/Chan 16-21 21-11 22-20.
Women:White/Morley lost to Gayle Hobbs/Paula Neale 15-21 22-24; White/Ledger defeated Hobbs/Yvonne Emion 21-18 21-18; Ledger/Morley lost to Neale/Emion 15-21 17-21.
Mixed: Prebble/White defeated Holland/Hobbs 21-18 21-17; Lee/Ledger lost to Stobbs/Neale 20-22 21-17 9-21; Smith/Morley lost to Chan/Emion 19-21 16-21.