Belinda Day had an easy win for Opaki. PHOTO/FILE
Favourites set the benchmark
TENNIS
CHRIS COGDALE
[email protected]
Martinborough and Opaki set the early benchmark with easy wins in the first round of the Gawith Shield regional one interclub competition on Saturday.
Defending champions Martinborough were expected to be too good for Masterton on the grass courts at Martinborough in the four men, two women format.
Masterton were returning to the top division after a year’s hiatus and with former top Auckland junior Boon Huxtable at number one, they were expected to challenge other teams with a solid men’s line-up, which also included the experienced Chad Parson, who was playing his first match for the club in almost two years.
However, the absence of Huxtable pushed Parson up to number one and made Martinborough’s task that much easier and comfortably won 8-1.
All Martinborough’s men cruised to straight set victories. Chris Wilkie defeated Parson 6-3 6-1, Marco de Groot dispatched Rhys Hooper 6-0 6-3, Ed Wilkie beat promising teenager Liam Kerr 6-2 6-2, and Mike Jones beat David Johnston 6-1 6-1.
Katherine Jacobs beat Julie Foley 6-2 6-2 and Martha Wojcikowski came from a set down to beat Netia Morison 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the women’s singles.
Chris Wilkie and de Groot were taken to three sets before they beat Parson and Hooper 6-0 3-6 6-3 and Ed Wilkie and Jones didn’t drop a game in their win over Kerr and Johnston in the men’s doubles.
Masterton’s only win came in the women’s doubles where Foley and Morison got the better of Wojcikowski and Jacobs 6-3 4-6 6-1.
Opaki were pushed much harder in their 7-2 defeat of Gladstone at Opaki, with three of the four men coming from a set down to win their matches.
Number one Chris Davidson lost the first set to Lochie McNab 4-6, before claiming the second and third sets 7-5 6-2.
Brett Dymond lost a first set tie breaker to Scott Day and recovered to win 6-7 6-2 6-4 and Jon McNab dropped the first set 3-6 to Mitchell Blackwood but bounced back to take the second set 6-2 and the third set 6-1.
William Day, 14, claimed Gladstone’s only singles victory, after also dropping the first set 1-6 to Duncan Oakley, and recovering to win the second and third sets 6-3 6-1.
Gerry Brooking and Belinda Day had easy wins in the women’s singles over Gladstone’s two St Matthew’s Collegiate players. Brooking beat Amicia Valencia 6-1 6-1, and Belinda Day was too good for Ruby Kyle 6-2 6-3.
Brooking and Day then beat Valencia and Kyle 6-0 6-2 in the doubles.
In the men’s doubles Davidson and Dymond won a tight three setter 6-4 4-6 6-4 over Lochie McNab and William Day.
Scott Day and Blackwood notched Gladstone’s second win in a third set tiebreaker over Jon McNab and Oakley 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
Standings:
Martinborough 10 points, Opaki 9, Gladstone 2, Masterton 1.
