Badminton: Title won, car lost

By Terry Madaford

Unseeded Japanese Hidetaka Yamada was a winner and loser in the Auckland International at Badminton Hall yesterday.

In a whistlestop visit, Yamada, ranked No 4 in Japan, flew in for the on Thursday and returns home today.

He takes with him some vital ranking points in his chase for a place in the Japanese team for next year's Olympics after beating New Zealand No 1 Geoff Bellingham in straight sets.

With an ounce of luck he could have won a new car as well.

In a competition at the conclusion of the tournament, six players and six spectators were challenged to hit a shuttle into the half-closed window of a new car.

Yamada, the second to have that chance, missed by a whisker - the closest anyone came to driving away the $25,000 prize.

In the real action, Yamada beat second seed Bertrand Gallet, of France, in the semifinals - the only match in which he was taken to three sets.

Bellingham, top-seeded on the basis of his world ranking, also got through with the loss of only one set.

New Zealand had representatives in all finals - no mean feat in the strongest international field seen here - but claimed only one title when unseeded Rhona Robertson beat fourth seed Rebecca Gordon 11-2 11-3 in a one-sided all-New Zealand women's singles final.

Defending champions Sarah Runesten, of Denmark, and New Zealander Larissa Kishore upset second seeds Rayoni Head and Kate Wilson-Smith, of Australia, in the women's doubles semifinals but lost the final 6-15, 6-15 to the top seeds, Australians Rhonda Cator and Amanda Hardy.

Hardy claimed a second title when she and David Bamford beat unseeded Kiwis Dan Shirley and Renee Flavell in straight sets.

Flavell had earlier won the Auckland under-21 singles - beating Rachel Hindley - and doubles with Hindley without dropping a set.