Badminton: New tournament rules to be used in NZ

File photo / Yohan Nonotte

The prestigious Auckland International badminton tournament will be used as a guinea pig, with a new points system in place in the world game for the first time.

The tournament, starting on Thursday, marks the beginning of a three-month trial where the sport will shift from a best-of-three set, first to 21 points system to best-of-five, and first to 11 points. Every point counts, instead of only when a player is serving.

Also gone is the two-point must rule, wherein, at 20-all, a player must win by two points. At 10-all, the next point wins the set.

The total number of points available in each match has dropped from 42 in a straight sets win to 33 over three games.

"The new scoring I think should be positive for the game", leading New Zealand player Kevin Dennerly-Minturn said.

"It will mean every point has a higher value which should lift the intensity and interest for spectators. It should build more aggressive players and puts pressure on players to start better."

The World Badminton Federation are looking to speed the game up and create more exciting moments.

"The thinking around playing a higher number of shorter games without setting is that players cannot afford lapses in concentration and that fans will remain engaged in a game throughout, knowing that a run of two or three points to either player or combination at any time can prove crucial," Badminton New Zealand event manager and former international Julie Carrel said.

It carries on a theme of innovation in New Zealand sport. The recently completed National Hockey League saw the first use of 15-minute quarters rather than 35-minute halves.

Most of New Zealand's top players will take part in the Fernbaby-sponsored International, having come off the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the world championships, which finished in on August 31 in Copenhagen.

The Auckland event is a level-four event, with a prize purse of $US5000. It has attracted a good quality field from 11 countries. Players will be chasing ranking points to improve their prospects of entry into higher calibre events.

A week after Auckland is the Sydney International Challenge, worth $US15,000.
Motivation is high for Dennerly-Minturn, who with Oliver Leydon-Davis is top seed for the men's doubles event.

He missed playing in Glasgow due to an untimely virus which also rubbed Leydon-Davis of an opportunity.

"We have won this tournament before in 2012 and are keen to play well here again to improve our ranking with an eye towards the Rio Olympics," Dennerly-Minturn said.

Chinese Taipei pair of up and coming players, 17-year-olds Chia Hung Lu (men) and Chia Hsin Lee (women) head the singles seedings.