Badminton: Injury misery for Sidek

MALAYSIA'S WOES deepened at the All England Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, yesterday when their leading player, Rashid Sidek, limped out of the second round.

Sidek was playing England's Peter Knowles, but he had to abandon the match because of a torn calf muscle at the end of the second game when the scores were level. It was the third set-back for Malaysia following the withdrawals of Ong Ewe Hock and Yong Hock Kin, ranked fifth and sixth in the world

However, it heralded good news for the host country as an hour later Colin Haughton overcame Martin Delfs, of Denmark, 15-4, 15-6 to put two English players into the third round of the men's singles for the first time since 1991.

Among those booking third-round places were the Olympic champion Poul- Erik Hoyer-Larsen, who beat China's Xia Xuanze 15-11, 15-11, and the second seed Fung Permadi, of Taiwan, who overcame the Indonesian Ronny Agustinus.

In the women's tournament, the holder, Ye Zhaoying, of China, started her defence with a comfortable 11-2, 11-5 victory over Kara Solmundson, of Canada.

England are down to the Commonwealth champions Simon Archer and Jo Goode in the mixed doubles. The fifth seeds beat the Danes Janek Roos and Helene Kirkegaard 15-13, 15-5 to set up a confrontation with Kim Dong Moon and Ra Kyung Min, who beat them in the World Grand Prix finals.

The South Koreans put out England's other top pair, Chris Hunt and Donna Kellogg, in the second round.