Martinborough’s Jaimie McMaster beat Stu Wyeth in three sets. PHOTO/FILE
TENNIS
CHRIS COGDALE
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Martinborough and Masterton are almost certain to meet in the Gawith Shield final after the penultimate round of regional one interclub matches last Saturday.
Martinborough virtually ended Opaki’s chances of making the final with a 6-3 win on the grass courts at Martinborough.
The home side had a clean sweep of the men’s matches, and Opaki took out the three women’s matches.
Chris Wilkie, Ed Wilkie, and Matt Nicholson scored straight-set wins over Chris Davidson, Brett Dymond, and Duncan Oakley respectively, and Jaimie McMaster took three sets to beat Stu Wyeth.
Gerry Brooking, with a three-set win over Vanessa Schwartzer, and Belinda Day with a straight set win over Martha Wojcikowski, kept Opaki in with a chance of an upset.
However, that was extinguished with Martinborough winning both men’s doubles matches in straight sets.
Brooking and Day won the women’s doubles for Opaki to keep alive their slim hopes of making the final.
The Masterton-Gladstone clash followed the same trend as the Martinborough-Opaki match, with Masterton winning all six men’s matches and Gladstone sweeping the women’s matches.
Boon Huxtable beat William Day, John McLeod defeated Mitchell Blackwood, Rhys Hooper got the better of Eslyn Beck, and Liam Kerr beat Caleb Nunn, all in straight sets.
Amica Valencia and Ruby Kyle beat Hilda Holman and Deb Kerr respectively to close the gap to 4-2 after the singles.
Easy wins to Huxtable and Hooper over Day and Blackwood, and McLeod and Liam Kerr against Beck and Nunn sealed the win.
Valencia and Emily Stewart-Wells pulled back a point for Gladstone with a two-set victory over Holman and Deb Kerr in the women’s doubles.
Masterton just need to win two matches against Opaki on Saturday to advance to the championship decider, but Opaki will need to win at least eight of the nine matches to overtake Masterton.
POINTS
Martinborough 41, Masterton 31, Opaki 23, Gladstone 14
