1976 Thomas Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage for the 1976 Thomas Cup began on 25 May 1976 with the first-round knockout and ended on 5 June with the final tie.
Qualified teams
[edit]The teams that won their zonal tie qualified for the final knockout stage.
| Group | Winners |
|---|---|
| H |  Thailand
|
| CH |  Indonesia
|
| AS |  Malaysia
|
| AM |  Canada
|
| AU |  New Zealand
|
| EU |  Denmark
|
Bracket
[edit]| First round | Second round | Challenge round | ||||||||
| Denmark | ||||||||||
| 29 May 1976 – Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Bye | ||||||||||
| Denmark | 4 | |||||||||
| 25 May 1976 – Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Malaysia | 5 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 3 | |||||||||
| 4 June 1976 – Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Malaysia | 6 | |||||||||
| Malaysia | 0 | |||||||||
| 27 May 1976 – Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Indonesia | 9 | |||||||||
| Thailand | 9 | |||||||||
| 31 May 1976 – Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Canada | 0 | |||||||||
| Thailand | 1 | |||||||||
| Indonesia | 8 | |||||||||
| Bye | ||||||||||
| Indonesia | ||||||||||
First round
[edit]The inter-zone ties (team matches) were held in Bangkok, Thailand in late May and early June. 1973 runner-up Denmark and defending champion Indonesia received byes and awaited the winners of Malaysia versus New Zealand and Canada versus Thailand respectively. New Zealand's fate was sealed when it could not break through against the Malaysian singles lineup of Phua Ah Hua, Saw Swee Leong, and James Selvaraj, despite some competitive matches. New Zealand doubles victories, two of them after the tie had been decided, made the final score 6–3. The Purser brothers, Bryan and older brother Richard both played well in defeat for the Kiwis.[1]
The contest between Canada and host Thailand was quite lopsided. Though the Canadians had replaced several of its Pan American zone team members with younger players, it had retained the veteran ex-Thais Raphi Kanchanaraphi and Channarong Ratanaseangsuang, two heroes of Thailand's run to the Thomas Cup final a full fifteen years earlier. The old Thais could not match the young Thai doubles pairs, though, in extending one match to three games, they performed as well as anyone else on their team. Canada's singles number one Jamie McKee could average only six points a game against Thailand's Bandid Jaiyen and Surapong Suharitdamrong. Only one of the singles matches was moderately close in a 9–0 Thai victory[2]
Malaysia vs New Zealand
[edit] Malaysia 6 |
Indoor Stadium Huamark 25–26 May 1976 [3] |
 New Zealand 3 |
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Thailand vs Canada
[edit] Thailand 9 |
Indoor Stadium Huamark 27–28 May 1976 [4] |
 Canada 0 |
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Second round
[edit]The first inter-zone semifinal between Denmark and Malaysia was the shocker of the series. The Danes once again fielded a squad of "name" players (complete with three alternates), though a few were now on the downside of their careers. By contrast the Malaysian team consisted of relative unknowns, though three consecutive hard-fought ties had given them valuable experience. The redoubtable Svend Pri, now 31, led off for Denmark with a decisive straight games win over Phua Ah Hua. In the next match, however, Flemming Delfs, less than a year away from capturing the World Singles Championship in the familiar Scandinavian climate, faltered in the heat and humidity after winning the first game against Saw Swee Leong. Those results set the pattern for the tie; Denmark could win matches that counted only when Pri was on the court. At 4–3 in favor of Malaysia Pri was finally unable to carry partner Steen Skovgaard to victory against Dominic Soong and Cheah Hong Chong. The jubilant young Malaysians had reached the Thomas Cup final against form, losing an anticlimactic final match to make the score 5–4.[5]
The outcome of the other semifinal was never really in doubt. Though host Thailand had received a bye into the inter-zone matches, it had also received "the short straw" by being placed in the Indonesian half of the draw. The performance of the diminutive but gifted Bandid Jaiyen, however, did offer some balm for Thailand's wounded pride. He had gained Thailand's only point against Indonesia in the previous Thomas Cup series, and did so again on the first night of play by fighting back from the brink of a straight games defeat to wear down powerhouse Iie Sumirat 15–5 in the third.[6] Though Jaiyen played creditably on the second night against the iconic Rudy Hartono, he was beaten at 11 and 7. Surapong Suharitdamrong, the Thai number two, could collect only eleven points in four games against Hartono and Sumirat. The one close doubles match came after Indonesia had already clinched the tie to play in its seventh Thomas Cup final in seven attempts.[7]
Denmark vs Malaysia
[edit] Denmark 4 |
Indoor Stadium Huamark 29–30 May 1976 [8] |
Malaysia 5 |
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Indonesia vs Thailand
[edit] Indonesia 8 |
Indoor Stadium Huamark 31 May – 1 June 1976 [9] |
Thailand 1 |
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Challenge round
[edit]In reaching the 1976 Thomas Cup final a young Malaysian team had done what vastly more experienced and accomplished Malaysian team members had failed to do in 1973. Their fine run, however, came to an abrupt end against juggernaut Indonesia in perhaps the most one-sided championship tie in Thomas Cup history. Replacing Sumirat in one of the top singles positions for Indonesia, rising star Liem Swie King weathered close first games against both Phua Ah Hua and Saw Swee Leong before slamming the door against both in the second game. Hartono was never threatened. Malaysia's Dominic Soong and Cheah Hong Chong captured the first game against Tjun Tjun and Johan Wahjudi, but this was the extent of the Malaysian challenge. By a nine to zero final tally Indonesia retained the Thomas Cup. It was the first time that the championship round had ended in a shutout.[7][10]
Indonesia 9 |
Indoor Stadium Huamark 4–5 June 1976 [11] |
Malaysia 0 |
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References
[edit]- ^ H. A. Scheele, "Indonesia retains the Thomas Cup," World Badminton, August 1976, 2, 3.
- ^ H. A. Scheele, "Indonesia Retains the Thomas Cup," World Badminton, August 1976, 2, 3.
- ^ "Malaysia enter semifinals". The Straits Times. 27 May 1976. p. 29. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "Thai shuttlists blank Canadians". The Calgary Herald. 29 May 1976. p. 53. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ Scheele, 2, 3.
- ^ "Indonesia lead 3-1". The Straits Times. 1 June 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ a b Scheele, 3, 4.
- ^ "Malaysia in Thomas Cup final". The Straits Times. 31 May 1976. p. 31. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "A scare for Rudy as Indonesia win 8-1". The Straits Times. 2 June 1976. p. 25. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ Davis, 120–126.
- ^ "Indonesia jadikan 9 — kosong". Berita Harian (in Malay). 6 June 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.