TABLE BRITISH men's No.1 Darren Hall has more than just pride at
staketoday when he returns to Glasgow's Kelvin Hall to begin his defence
of the singles title at the Glasgow Carlton Scottish Open Badminton
Championships.
Unless he reaches the last eight, Hall almost certainly will forfeit a
place at the World Grand Prix finals in Malaysia next month.
In this, the final counting event in the 1992 grand prix series, Hall
needs to pick up no fewer than 45 points in order to muscle his way into
the world's all-important top 15. The sixteenth spot automatically will
go to Malaysian Kok Koong Foo.
A qualifier on the last six occasions, Hall currently is tied in
seventeenth position, 10 points behind Open absentee Anders Nielsen.
For the former European champion, the current season could not have
started better. Hall, a comfortable winner of the Wimbledon Open in
September, became the first Briton to lift the Danish Open title, when
he beat top-seed Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen in last month's final.
However, an unexpected defeat in the second round of the recent
Norwegian Open has tempered his confidence, as has a nasty head cold,
which caused him such discomfort that he seriously considered
withdrawing from this week's line-up.
Fortunately, the symptoms have abated and, according to Hall, he is
fit and eagerly awaits the chance to defend the title.
Although seeded to meet old adversary Jens Olsson in Sunday's final,
Hall believes the biggest threat to his crown will come from a closer
quarter.
According to Hall, fellow British Olympian Steve Butler is in fine
fettle and, having beaten Olsson en route to the Norwegian title, may
well feature in the competition's latter stages. Other players earmarked
by Hall as possible challengers are Finland's Pontus Jantii and another
Englishman, Peter Knowles.
Scottish hopes are pinned on national champion Kevin Scott, for whom
an awkward first-round draw with the Danish No.3, Claus Thomsen, may
have its compensations.
''On paper, he will be expected to beat me but I have nothing to
lose,'' said Scott.
* SWEDEN, the European champions, whitewashed Scotland at the Saltire
Leisure Centre, Arbroath, last night to record their eight successive
victory over the Scots. Results (Swedish names first):
Men's singles -- R Magnusson defeated B Flockhart 15-2, 15-5; P
Andreasson defeated K Scott 15-6, 15-8. Men's doubles -- P Axelsson and
P G Jonsson defeated K Middlemiss and R Hogg 15-6, 15-4; Andreasson and
Magnusson defeated G Haldane and A Gatt 15-4, 15-2. Women's singles -- A
Crabo defeated G Martin 11-1, 11-3. Women's doubles -- M and C Bengtsson
defeated J and E Allen 15-17, 15-0, 15-4. Mixed doubles -- Jonsson and M
Bengtsson defeated Middlemiss and E Allen 10-15, 15-8, 15-11.
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