Badminton: Mixed feelings over bronze in team event

By CHRIS RATTUE

New Zealand's mixed teams bronze medal was received with mixed feelings.

Victory over Singapore would have given New Zealand their first Commonwealth Games badminton medal above bronze.

But New Zealand, seeded second to England, failed to make the gold-medal game, going down to Singapore.

The New Zealanders then had to endure the half-hour ride back to the athletes' village in the same bus as the Singapore team.

Singapore won 3-1 in the best-of-five clash, with New Zealand's only victory coming in the mixed doubles through Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen.

"There are mixed feelings. It's great to win a medal, but we wanted to take New Zealand badminton to somewhere it hadn't been before," said Rebecca Gordon, who was crushed by Li Li in their singles clash.

Gordon said the seedings could be deceptive because some players did not play much in ranking tournaments.

And Singapore had been bolstered recently by the arrival of three imports.

Geoff Bellingham lost his singles against Ronald Susilo and, in the big disappointment, Shirley and John Gordon lost their doubles, meaning the women's doubles of Nicole Gordon and Runesten Petersen were left on the sideline.

New Zealand are traditionally strong in the doubles but suffer in singles, and the theory was they should beat Singapore 3-2.

But it was not to be.

Fifth seeds Singapore now play favourites England in the teams final.

England progressed, as expected, at the expense of third seeds Scotland, winning 3-0 in the earlier semifinal.

Scotland also win a bronze medal because there is no playoff.

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