New Scoring System Trialled at Auckland International   11 Sep 2014

Badminton Trials New Scoring System at Auckland International

The eyes of the badminton world will be on Auckland next week for the hosting of the Fernbaby Auckland International, with the event one of the first in the world to trial a proposed new scoring system.

The Fernbaby Auckland International is a level four International Series event, carrying a prize purse of USD$5,000 but the biggest talking point around the tournament will be the trialing of a new international scoring system – one that has sparked a healthy debate throughout the badminton world.

Coming a week before the Sydney International Challenge (USD$15,000), the September 18 to 21 event has attracted a quality field of international players from eleven countries as far flung as the Netherlands, India and England and a little closer to home from Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, French Polynesia, Korea, Tonga and Australia.

And of course there will be a healthy representation of New Zealanders chasing their share of the prize money but just as importantly, ranking points and experience in a genuine international event of this nature. The Kiwis will be headlined by World Championship team members Kevin Dennerly-Minturn, Oliver Leydon-Davis and Susannah Leydon-Davis.

Regardless of where the players hail from however, they will have to cope with a new scoring system and will be amongst the first to do so at tournament play. Historically badminton has been played as the best of three ‘first to 21 point’ games, with ‘extension’ taking place at 20-all with players having to win a game by a clear two points (23-21 and so on).

The Fernbaby Auckland International is one of the first tournaments in the world to trial this proposed new system with games decided on a best of five ‘first to 11 point’ games, with no extension – creating a sudden death game winning point at 10-all.

Badminton New Zealand Event Manager and former international player Julie Carrel says the reaction of players and fans will be fascinating to watch, with the eyes of the world on Auckland.

“The Badminton World Federation is looking for ways to further speed up the game and create more critical and exciting moments within matches. The argument is that the tone of a match or a game can be set very early on, rendering the middle or latter parts of a 21 point game as a bit of a procession.

“The thinking around playing a higher number (best of five as against best of three) 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 2 or 3 points to either player or combination at any time can prove crucial.

“This is very early in a three month trial worldwide and we are amongst the first to test the waters. It will be fascinating to see how the players and spectators react but it will also test the mettle of the officials who are equally new to this scoring system. There will be reports heading to the world body in Kuala Lumpur from Gillies Ave during and after the tournament, putting us in the spotlight for sure.”

With 65 international players from 11 countries coming to Auckland for the event the coverage of the new scoring system is sure to expose the tournament and the city of Auckland to a large audience. All players, officials and spectators can also have their say, with a feedback form being handed out at the tournament to gauge reaction from all involved.

“For a tournament of this level the field is pleasing and shows the international depth of the sport and its popularity, particularly in Asia,” said Carrel. “World rankings will not do justice to the strength of some of the players coming in, we are certainly going to see some good badminton.

“Badminton is a truly global sport that enjoys a strong following throughout most parts of the world, especially in Europe and Asia. The colour and excitement of so many cultures and languages alone makes the Fern Baby a great tournament, the support of those communities from here in multi-cultural Auckland just adds to the atmosphere of what promises to be a great week of badminton.”

• Play starts at Gillies Ave on Thursday 18th at 4pm and then again Friday at 10am
• Quarter-finals Saturday 10am, semi-finals Sat 5pm,
• Finals – Sunday 11am
• A further preview including comment from the New Zealanders in the tournament will follow next Tuesday

Fernbaby Auckland International
September 18-21
Gillies Ave Badminton Hall, Auckland

Seedings
Men’s singles
1 Chia Hung LU Chinese Taipei
2 Yogendran KHRISHNAN Malaysia
3 Kuo PO CHENG Chinese Taipei
4 Wei Jian AI Malaysia
5 Seng Zoe YEOH Malaysia
6 Chun Hsien YU Chinese Taipei
7 Michael SPENCER-SMITH England
8 Pit Seng LOW Australia

Men’s Doubles
1 Kevin DENNERLY-MINTURN & Oliver LEYDON-DAVIS New Zealand
2 Matthew CHAU & Sawan SERASINGHE Australia
3 Pit Seng LOW & Anthony JOE Australia
4 Shang Kai LIN & Hsuan Wen CHANG Chinese Taipei

Women’s Singles
1 Chia Hsin LEE Chinese Taipei
2 Mei Hui CHIANG Chinese Taipei
3 Verdet KESSLER Australia
4 Joy LAI Australia

Women’s Doubles
1Ching Hui CHANG & Hsin Tien CHANG Chinese Taipei
2 Joy LAI & Verdet KESSLER Australia
3 Pei Ling SHUAI & Ling Fang HU Chinese Taipei
4 Pin Chi CHAO & Ya Ting CHIANG Chinese Taipei

Mixed Doubles
1Oliver LEYDON-DAVIS & Susannah LEYDON-DAVIS New Zealand
2 Pit Seng LOW & Alice WU Australia
3 Shang Kai LIN & Hsin-Yu TSAI Chinese Taipei
4 Niccolo TAGLE & Angie LEUNG New Zealand

For more on the tournament and Badminton New Zealand, CLICK HERE

For more in tournament sponsor Fernbaby, CLICK HERE

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