Badminton: Veteran can only watch as bronze slips away

John Moody in action during his bronze medal match in the badminton mixed teams event. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Geoff Bellingham watched from afar as New Zealand's hopes of bronze in the badminton teams event disappeared in controversial circumstances yesterday.

Bellingham, in his last tournament before leaving the international stage, was not called for the singles or doubles in the medal match with India.

He was left out of both and sat sideline as John Moody, handed the singles berth, won a stirring three-game battle to get New Zealand back to 1-1.

Bellingham then had to watch his regular doubles partner Craig Copper team with Dan Shirley for the doubles.

After taking the first game 21-11, the scratch combination then lost the next by the same score and then the third, the match and the tie.

"Sure, I was disappointed," said Bellingham, who has played at this level for 10 years and was looking to bow out with a medal. It would have been a decent send-off as his wife Rebecca is also part of the mixed team.

"I was told this morning that John [Moody] was going to play singles as it was felt his style was more suited to counteracting the Indian's game."

Bellingham said he and his wife planned to retire but are likely to continue to play at provincial level.

The bronze match began badly for New Zealand when the highly ranked mixed doubles combination of Sara Runesten-Petersen and Shirley were upset 17-21, 21-13, 21-9 by Valiyaveetil and Jwala Gutta.

That was one the New Zealanders had targeted as a must-win to have a realistic chance against the Indians.

That loss put the pressure on Moody for the singles clash with Anup Sridhar.

Moody, a Auckland-based Northlander, dropped the first game 11-21 in 13 minutes but hit back strongly to take the second 21-8 with some deft net play and well-hit smashes.

The deciding game was a cliff-hanger. Sridhar raced to 8-2 before Moody rallied to level at 11-11, at which point Moody pumped his fist in his first show of emotion.

They continued to trade points before the Indian twice snatched a two-point advantage.

Moody, in the biggest match of his career, pulled off crucial points by continuing to mix it up.

A smash got Moody back to 19-19. Two more points and it was his. He had passed his biggest test.

"I have trained really hard," Moody said. "I was as nervous as hell serving at 20-19 but it worked out."

Asked when he was told he had been given the nod over Bellingham, Moody said there had been a hint on Sunday night.

Moody's win opened the door for New Zealand. But it closed just as quickly when Rebecca Bellingham lost 13-21, 22-24 to Saina Nehwal.

The first game was over in 14 minutes, the second lasted eight minutes longer as Bellingham battled all the way, coming back from 1-5, 2-8, and 10-13 to level at 14-14, 17-17 and then 20-20 before bowing out.

The attention then switched to the Shirley/Cooper combination.

They began well enough, taking the first game 21-11. But they then lost their way, losing the last two games and any chance of a medal.

The women's doubles were not played, and the Indians were left to celebrate while New Zealand added to a growing list of fourth-place finishes for the Games team.