A week of thrilling competition has come to a close at the Auckland Badminton Stadium tonight, with Waikato and Canterbury heading home as champions for Division 1 and Division 2 respectively.
In Division 2, Canterbury began the week by defeating the top two seeds in very close encounters, beating Auckland 9-7 and North Harbour 8-8 (19-19 games, 699-677 points). The middle of the week was more comfortable, with clean wins over Southland (11-5) and Bay of Plenty (14-2), before coming upon a determined Shirley Rentals Waitakere 3 on the last day. With matches locked up early on, Canterbury eventually pulled away in the mixed doubles to win 10-6 and claim the Slazenger Cup.
Winner: Canterbury (promoted to Division 1)
Runner Up: Waitakere 3
3rd: North Harbour 2
4th: Auckland 2
5th: Southland
6th: Bay of Plenty (relegated to Division 3)
In Division 1, Waikato started the week with strong wins over Barfoot and Thompson Waitakere 1 (10-6) and NZBA Waitakere 2 (15-1), before meeting a tough challenge against Auckland, eventually winning 9-7. Another hard-fought battle was just around the corner when they came across the also-undefeated North Harbour on Friday. Waikato came away with the win 10-6, which was enough to secure the title with a tie still to play. Wellington North was dispatched emphatically 16-0 to complete the week, leaving Waikato as the clear winners of the Wisden Cup.
Winner: Waikato
Runner Up: North Harbour 1
3rd: Auckland 1
4th: Waitakere 1
5th: Wellington North
6th: Waitakere 2 (relegated to Division 2)
