Mixed doubles winners Marc Paulik [centre] and Nichola Boyles, with club president Charlie Cresswell. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.
TENNIS
The annual ‘Over the Hill’ Tennis Tournament this month was again a huge success for the Martinborough Lawn Tennis Club.
The popular grass court tournament attracted big numbers, particularly in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles, which were oversubscribed, resulting in long days for the two days of competition, with some games being played under lights.
In the men’s doubles the competition was as tough as it has ever been, with several strong combinations from the Wellington region.
Wairarapa pairings did perform well though. Ed Wilkie [Martinborough] and Boon Huxtable [Masterton] made it to the Championship final, where they came up against the impressive pairing of Jason Canning and Marc Paulik from the Hutt Valley who had been dominant all day.
Canning and Paulik, the nephew of Wairarapa tennis coach Cilla Paulik, stepped up a gear in the final, taking out the title convincingly.
Other good showings by Wairarapa players came from the Martinborough combination of Chris Wilkie and Steve Chapman, who defeated the Nicholson brothers, Dan and Matt, in the plate final, while another Martinborough team of Simon Campbell and Matt Thomas won the special plate.
The women’s doubles championship final was a closer affair with the Hutt Valley duo Leonie Campbell and Emily Dine edging out the Hawke’s Bay pairing of Treacy Lucas and Hannah Kennerley, giving Dine her second win in a row.
Dine went close to her second title for the tournament, this time with her father Trevor, in the mixed doubles, making it through to the championship final. There they met men’s champion Paulik and his partner Nichola Boyles [Hutt Valley].
A great fight was put up by the Dines with Emily hitting some wonderful baseline shots to keep them in the contest. But in the end, it was the consistency and superb ground strokes from Paulik which sealed the victory.
The ‘Over the Hill’ tournament is an important fundraiser for the Martinborough club, with the money raised going towards the upkeep of the grass courts and improvements to the clubhouse.
The iconic clubhouse on Regent St will have its centenary in 2023, so the committee is looking at plans to strengthen it and make the facilities fit for purpose, with renovations hopefully under way for next year’s tournament.
