NEW ZEALAND INT’L MASTERS – Days long past

A great week for New Zealand badminton saw the national championships followed by the New Zealand International Masters Championships, which featured, among others, former Malaysian great Ong Ewe Hock.

By Kira Rin, Badzine Correspondent live in Auckland. Photos (live): Soon Wong

With the current generation of badminton players, including the current greats of Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei, it would be hard to recall the legends of the past who once stepped on to the very same courts. New Zealand had a great week of badminton with the past weekend having the national champs with a notable match in a electrifying men’s doubles 3^rd place playoff where the score went up to 30-29 and 25-23. Then this weekend, old timers from Malaysia, China and New Zealand came to Auckland to re-live their old days of glory. Of special note was Malaysia’s  Ong Ewe Hock (photo), who had been invited to grace the event.

The Masters tournament had a very different format to most tournaments we see nowadays. Teams would send their players to compete in different categories and their performances in their respective categories would determine the points the team gets. Regardless, the players had their fun playing the game that they have known and enjoyed since youth.

The legendary Ong Ewe Hock was no exception, playing his game with the skills acquired over the long years. The Malaysian, a two-time Malaysia Open winner in men’s singles, now took his time to play doubles, partnering with Donald Koh for men’s doubles and New Zealand’s own legend Li Feng for mixed. Ewe Hock proved that he was still a force to be reckoned with, utilizing his impressive agility and speed to power through his matches, never losing or dropping a single game. Even when playing seriously, he sometimes gave the audience some fun by pulling off incredible shots or defense.

Ong spoke to Badzine after his matches, giving his opinion of the tournament and of playing in New Zealand: “It was well-organized and ran smoothly.  The matches were able to be finished on time.  New Zealand has good weather, I like the temperature here,” said the Malaysian legend.

“The new scoring system has made things more challenging for many players. However, it has made the game more balanced as there is a chance for younger players to beat the old ones and the experienced ones have to be always ready.

“Most important is to enjoy playing and socializing with other players,” Ong offered as counsel for badminton players worldwide.

All results here