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FRIENDSHIP CUP: DUTCH WHIP CANADIANS

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western USA agents BADMINTON ALLEY. **

February 15, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The Dutch national badminton team walloped Canada 6 matches to 1 last night in the Friendship Cup under-21 triangular meet at the Asian New Year Festival being held at the Skydome in Toronto, Canada. With their victory, the Netherland side took ownership of the Cup from the Canadians.

The tournament-toughened Ginny Severien opened up for the Dutch with an easy and quick 11-3 and 11-2 over Ann Rice in the first women's singles.

Stacey Bouwmann added one more match victory for the Dutch with a 15-13 and 15-2 win over Bobby Milroy in the first men's singles match. The match had started at about the same time as the first women's singles, but ended much later as Bouwmann and Milroy battled hard for the first game with many well-played rallies and exchanges that had onlookers applauding. After many interruptions to repair the temporary underfloor of the portable court, the Dutch player finally managed to come through in the endgame with the winning shot combinations.

In the second game, Milroy could not adjust to the swirling and changing drift and also could not cope with Bouwmann's backhand racket-at-wrist-level driving short serve. With only an umpire officiating the match and no side judge to call service faults, the Dutch player's serve became more and more effective and, together with the difficult drift, frustrated Milroy into miscue after miscue.

In the second women's singles, Maartje Van De Wal was able to increase the Dutch advantage to 3-0 when she came back from a first game setback to beat Amelie Felx 5-11, 11-1 and 11-3.

American Bob Malaythong, playing for the Dutch team as a fill-in in the second men's singles, clinched ownership of the Cup for Netherland, when he beat Stan Smith 13-15, 15-6 and 15-11 in the match of the evening. Malaythong played seemingly without regard for his body as he dove to the floor many times for crowd-pleasing saves. In the first game, he took the early lead with his quickness, diving defense and leaping smashes. Smith though came back and won the game, using his height and long stride to reach for the shuttle and stroke winning placements and smashes.

In the second game, Smith was bedeviled with the same swirling drift that helped undo his teammate Bobby Milroy earlier and Malaythong was the easy winner at 15-6.

In the decider, it was Smith, playing on the less drifty side, who took a commanding lead. At the change of ends, however, Malaythong came back and then took control at 12-11. The American added two more on Smith misplays and finally won the match when Smith pounded a putaway into the net.

Will Milroy and Philip Bouret finally broke through for Canada in the men's doubles. The pair beat Joely Residay and Paul Kalterstaart 15-9 and 15-6.

In the women's doubles match, Severien and Melissa Trouerbach beat the scratch Canadian pair of Jennifer Wong and Nancy Desaulniers 15-8 and 15-10.

The Dutch mixed doubles pair of Residay and Trouerbach closed the books on Canada and on the 1999 Friendship Cup competition when they beat Will Milroy and Jennifer Wong 13-15, 15-12 and 15-9 in the final match.

(dtinline/mc/ds)

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