Visitors leave with eyes opened

Eastland loan player Matheus Batlajeri from Manawatū attempts to hit the shuttlecock during the super veteran badminton tournament last Saturday. Eastland beat Hawke’s Bay 5-4 but Oroua proved too dominant, beating the hosts 8-1.Pictures by Paul Rickard

Visiting badminton players who travelled to Gisborne by road left with more understanding of the challenges facing Tairāwhiti.

Badminton Eastland hosted super veteran teams from Oroua, Hawke’s Bay, Auckland and Northland at the Badminton Centre on Saturday.

Eastland beat Hawke’s Bay 5 matches to 4 and lost to Oroua 8-1.

Players enjoyed competition and comradeship during the day, and dinner together in the evening. Those who came to Gisborne by car couldn’t get over the state of the roads and the damage to the land and infrastructure. They now understand a little more about the challenges facing Tairāwhiti.

Eastland team members were Kevin Lee (Gisborne Badminton Club), Ron Prebble, Alan Ledger, Sheree Gray, Annabelle Riwaka, Ruth Ledger, Ra Leach and Linda White (all Patutahi Badminton Club), Matheus Batlajeri (loan player from Manawatū) and Keith Twiddy (replacement player for the injured Alan Ledger).

In the morning, Eastland turned the tables on Hawke’s Bay, who had beaten them in group competition.

The men’s doubles all went the opposition’s way, and the women’s doubles, Eastland’s way.

White and Ruth Ledger were able to keep ahead of opponents Lynda Watson and former Gisborne player Brenda Barber, Ledger combined with Gray and continued the momentum, and then Gray and Riwaka dominated their match and won easily.

With a tie score of 3-3, it was again down to the mixed doubles.

Lee and Riwaka played a tactical match and won in two close games.

Alan Ledger and Ra Leach lost their first game by two points, then refocused and took the second game by two points. In the third, they couldn’t match the firing Hawke’s Bay pairing.

Prebble and Gray continued their winning form, dominating and winning in two games.

Eastland played Oroua in the afternoon.

In the men’s doubles, Oroua dominated the first two matches.

Prebble and Lee won their first game 21-19, but the opposition refocused and narrowly took the next. The third was an exciting game with the score sea-sawing before Oroua took the game 22-20.

The women’s doubles were closer but Oroua won them all.

Ledger and White had a three-game match, losing the first narrowly, then refocusing and taking the next. But they couldn’t stop the opposition in the third.

Gray and Ledger were unlucky to lose their first game but could not match the tactical play of the Oroua pairing in the second.

In the final women’s doubles match, Gray and Riwaka played well in an exciting match where both sides of the court played strategically and tried to outwit their opponents. The Oroua women won 22-20 in both games.

In the mixed doubles, Batlajeri and Riwaka lost their first game narrowly, 22-20, but Oroua won the second easily.

Lee and Leach played a fantastic first game, winning 21-19. Oroua refocused and took the next 21-17, and continued their domination in the third.

Prebble and Gray kept ahead of the opposition to win the first game, let their momentum slide in the second, but were able to refocus and change their play to win the third game.

Other results: Oroua defeated Auckland (3) 9-0, Northland defeated Hawke’s Bay 6-3 and Northland defeated Auckland (3) 8-1.

Results (Eastland scores first) —

Eastland 5 Hawke’s Bay 4

Men’s doubles: Kevin Lee/Alan Ledger lost to Stan Codlin/Alan Hassan 15-21, 17-21; Ron Prebble/Matheus Batlajeri lost to Steven Gee/Stan Codlin 12-21, 11-21; Lee/Batlajeri lost to Peter Lo/Gee 4-21, 10-21.

Women’s doubles: Sheree Gray/Annabelle Riwaka defeated Lynda Watson/Liza Hughes 21-6, 21-14; Gray/Ruth Ledger def Watson/Brenda Barber 21-12, 21-12; Ledger/Linda White def Watson/Barber 21-14, 21-14.

Mixed doubles: Prebble/Gray def Codlin/Watson 21-16, 21-8; Alan Ledger/Ra Leach lost to Lo/Hughes 19-21, 21-19, 14-21; Lee/Riwaka def Gee/Barber 21-18, 21-17.

Eastland 1 Oroua 8

Men’s doubles: Prebble/Lee lost to Ian Angove/Mike Smith 21-19, 18-21, 20-22; Prebble/Keith Twiddy lost to Angove/Peter Beirne 12-21, 11-21; Batlajeri/Twiddy lost to Steve Arathoon/Beirne 10-21, 11- 21.

Women’s doubles: Gray/Riwaka lost to Lorraine Warrington/Anne Sutherland 20-22, 20-22; Gray/Ledger  lost to Warrington/Robyn English 19-21, 14-21; Ledger/White lost to Shirley Shields/English 17-21, 21-19, 14-21.

Mixed doubles: Prebble/Gray def Beirne/Sutherland 21-19, 14-21, 21-13; Lee/Leach lost to Angove/Warrington 21-19, 17-21, 14-21; Batlajeri/Riwaka def Arathoon/Shields 20-22, 14-21.