KEY POINTS:
New Zealand will bank on youth and raw talent in their chase for a top half finish at the world junior badminton championships, which started at Trusts Stadium yesterday.
The team are keen to improve on last year's placing when they beat Australia in the 23rd/24th play-off.
In general the best performances at the championships have been in singles. At the first world junior championships, in Jakarta in 1992, Jarrod King reached the last 16. Megan Heaney equalled that result in 1996 at Silkeborg, Denmark, before losing to the eventual gold medallist Hua Yu (China).
This time, the New Zealanders, again relying heavily on players from the country's northern associations, are regarded as having a good chance of a top-half finish in the 27-nation teams event. It will not be easy, though, and they face a tough test against the seeded Indians at noon today.
Interestingly, in a sport recently dominated in New Zealand by Asians, two Southlanders are bringing something different to the squad.
James Eunson, 17, the national junior singles champion who won the 18s singles title in Wellington in August, and fellow James Hargest College student Anna Rankin are from Invercargill.
Eunson, a Maori, has his sights set high. "I don't just want to be the best Maori player. I want to be the best player," he says.
Rankin is the only girl in the squad born in New Zealand.
"It's funny being the only Kiwi-born girl in the team. I don't mind. We're all playing for New Zealand anyway. It's home for all of us."
Also in the girls' squad are Westlake Girls High School student, Jessica Jonggowisastro (Indonesian-born), and Melisa Leviana from Rangitoto College, also from Indonesia. Emily Ang, who plays out of Waitakere, was born in Malaysia. Macleans College student Stephanie Cheng was born in Hong Kong and Kritteka Gregory in India. The Chapple sisters, Clare and Emma, are originally from Britain.
Although the team has something of a United Nations look, the accents are all very much New Zealand and the big desire remains to finish ahead of Australia.
Of the boys, Oliver Leydon-Davis is from from the Waikato, Kevin Dennerly-Minturn and Delius Tang (Hong Kong-born) play for Auckland, Ashraf Dhoray (Malaysian-born) and Luke Charlesworth represent Waitakere.
Charlesworth, 15, the youngest in the squad, is, a little surprisingly, the national 21s champion but neither he nor Eunson are expected to take the top singles berth in the teams event. That honour is likely to go to Ethan Haggo, who turns 17 next month.
Haggo, who did not win a major singles title in 2007, is generally regarded as the New Zealand No 1. Haggo, Eunson, Dennerly-Minturn and Jonggowisastro are the returning players from last year's championships.
"I was the top singles player last year and think I've got more experience behind me now," said Haggo. "I think as a team we will do a lot better than in Korea. It's hard to judge our improvement. TJ [coach Tjitte "TJ" Weistra] says I play a slow basic game. I've been trying to mix it up and develop new aspects of my game."
The youngest female member of the team is Jonggowisastro, 16, who is the 18s doubles champion with Clare Chapple.
"Badminton in Indonesia is pretty much like rugby is here. Everyone knows about it and supports it," Jonggowisastro said.
Reflecting on New Zealand's chances, she said the team could do well.
"We can't wait to play, especially playing the Aussies. We know every match is vital but that match will be key."
Dutch-born coach Weistra has been playing badminton for 19 years, 10 as part of the Dutch national team. His best world rankings were 23rd in men's singles and mixed doubles.
Weistra has been employed by the Waikato Badminton Association since 2004 helping to raise the standard of play and playing numbers in the area. He has also been involved with Badminton New Zealand, coaching at both under-19 and senior levels, and was head coach of the New Zealand team at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
"The pool we are in for the teams championships means we are going to have a very competitive tournament. We have got a very good group of players," said Weistra. "They lack exposure outside Australasia but this tournament will get them that exposure and the opportunity to develop on the international scene."
