LAWN TENNIS Elmwood Wins Narrowly Against North Linwood

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28159, 24 December 1956, Page 9

LAWN TENNIS Elmwood Wins Narrowly Against North Linwood

No team has gained a lead after the second series of matches in the jecond round of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior men's competition. tor the two teams whi h won jn the first series were both beaten 8 t Wilding Pirk on Saturday. Closest decision was North Linwood's defeat by Elmwood—64 games to 61 —in what was thought to be one o f the most crucial matches of the whole competition. Elmwood had been beaten by United in the round before and they are thought to be the teams with the best chance of taking the title. On the other hand. Cashmere, which had been beaten comfortably by North Linwood in the previous round, rose to the occasion to beat United by 4 matches to 2. In the second section Opawa had taken the lead because it won for the second time in succession when it beat Woolston by 4 matches to 2. In the other match in that section University beat Avonside by 4 matches to 2 Points are:—Section W (winners): Elmwood 1, North Linwood 1. United 1, Cashmere 1. Section L (losers): Opawa 2. Woolston 1, Unive.sity 1, Avonside 0.

Elmwood, the new team in the competition. slipped from favour when it was beat* n by United in the last round but on Saturday it narrowly- won a difficult match. North Linw’ood was ahead by 3 matches to 2 after the singles but Elmwood won both the doubles and was able to take the match by three games. The tenor of the match was also exhibited in the individual contests because the two top singles both went to three sets. A. L. Blackwell (Elmwood) beat W. Pritchard, 6-4. 2-6, 7-5. and B. R. Crawford (North Linwood) beat A. D. L. Hunter (Elmwood), 8-6. 1-6. 6-1. The match between Blackwell and Pritchard was one of the best in the club competition this season. Pritchard had already gained a good reputation from beating A. N. Bailey and R. G. Pattinson but he met his match in Blackwell. Working Pritchard out of position. Blackwell made few mistakes in the first set and b- was able to use his strong volleying to advantage.

Pritchard’s steadiness won him the second t but he collapsed in the third to be 1-5 down. A great recovery brought him up again, and he was retrieving excellently, but he could not maintain form. Crawford’s defeat of Hunter is one of his best performances to date. Hunter was not playing badly and his overhead was particularly good, but he lacked the accuracy of his opponent, whose forehand is his strong point

In women’s matches Avonside and Cashmere took the lead after the first series of the second round in the top section. Avonside beat the strong United team by 7 sets to 6 and Cashrfere beat St. Albans by 6 matches to 0. In the lower section Opawa beat the new Elmwood team by 5 matches tn 1 and Shirley-South Brighton beat University by 5 matches to 1.

In the Avonside-United match, Miss S Field gave one of her best displays

to take Mrs J. Lewis to three sets. Mrs Lewis won, 6-2, 4-6. 6-1. It was mainly a baseline dud but Miss Field shewed great determination and it was only at the end that she gave awav the points which led to her defeat. Results:—

SECTION W North Linwood v. Elmwood Singles.—W. Pritchard lost to A.' B Blackwell. 4-6, 6-2, 5-7; B. R. Crawford beat A. D. L. Hunter. 8-6. 1-6, 6-1: E. S Cormack lost to C. G. Judge. 1-6, 2-6: J. Beatty lost to P. M. Wilson. 0-6, Doubles.—Crawford and Cormack beat Blackwell and Hunter, 7-5, 6-3; Pritchard and Beatty beat Judge and Wilson, 6-1. 6-3. Elmwood won by 64 games to 61. United v. Cashmere Singles.—R. G. Pattinson lost to J. Cornish. 7-9, 3-6: S. Watson lost to M. C Healey, 3-6, 4-6; T. W. Walls beat R. Minson, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; J. Blakeley lost to S. Bullen. 2-6, 1-6. Doubles.—Pattinson and Watson beat Cornish and Healey, 6-4, 9-7; Walls and Blakelev lost to Minson and Bullen. 7-5. 4-6. 4-6. Cashmere won by 4 matches to 2. SECTION L University v. Avonside Singles.—B. R. Penfold lost to J. Reader, 5-7, 6-2. 1-6; W. Dickson beat A. Leopold, 6-4. 6-4; A. Huston beat E Packer. 6-3. 6-2; B. Shirlaw lost to T Tvler, n-6, 4-6. Doubles.—Penfold and Dickson beat deader and Tyler, 6-3, 7-5; Huston and Shirlaw beat Leopold and Packer. 6-2 12-10. University won by 4 matches to 2. Opawa v. Woolston Singles.—l. D. Armstrong beat W. M Logan, 8-6. 6-3; M. I. C. Norden beat M. Maher. 6-3. 6-3; R. Meers lost to B Aldridge. 2-6. 4-6; H. Hunter beat B M. Logan. 6-4. 6-4. Doubles.—Armstrong and Norden beat W. Logan and Maher. 6-4. 3-6, 8-6: Meers and Hunter lost to Aldridge and Logan. 6-2. 7-5. Opawa won by 4 matches to 2. SENIOR WOMEN (Section W) United v. Avonside Singles.—Mrs J. Lewis beat Miss S Field. 6-2. 4-6. 6-1: Miss J. Davidson beat Miss P. Allen, 6-3. 6-3: Miss A. Cuddon lost to Mrs J. McKav. 2-6. 1-6: Mrs M. Millard lost to Miss D. Norrie. 1-6, 1-6. Doubles —Mrs Lewis and Miss Davidson beat Miss Allen and Mrs McKay. 7-5. 6-4: Miss Cuddon and Mrs Millard lost to Misses Field and Norrie, 4-6, 2-6. Avonside won by 7 sets to 6. St. Albans v. Cashmere Singles.—Miss B. Mollison lest to Miss A. Snow. 1-6, 1-6; Miss T. Minehan lost to Mrs E. Campbell, 3-6, 0-6: Mrs G. Wilson lost to Miss F. Ower, 3-6, 7-9; Mrs B Watmuff lost to Mrs R. Lovegrove. 2-6. 0-6. Doubles.—Misses Mollison and Minehan lost to Miss Snow and Mrs Campbell 9-7. 6-8, 5-7: Mesdames Wilson and Watmuff lost to Miss Ower and Mrs Lovegrove, 2-6, 12-14. Cashmere won by 6 matches to 0. SECTION L Opawa v. Elmwood Singles.—Miss L. Luxton beat Mrs A Tapsell. 6-1, 6-3; Mrs H. Mitchell beat Miss B. Henderson. 7-5, 6-2; Miss P Mackie beat Miss K. Brander. 6-3, 6-3: Miss P. Hendy beat Miss K. Parker, 6-3. 6-2. Doubles.—Miss Luxton and Mrs Mitchell beat Mrs Tapsell and Miss Henderson, 6-2, 6-1; Misses Mackie and Hendy lost to Misses Brander and Parker, 3-6. 6-4, 3-6. Opawa won by 5 matches to 1.

Shirley-South Brighton v. University Singles.—Miss R. Pengelly lost to Miss G. Hopkinson, 0-6, 0-6; Mrs P. Boatwood beat Miss L. Cooper. 6-1. 6-1; Miss V. Hatch beat Miss H. Hamilton. 6-4, 6-1: Miss J. Edwards beat Miss R. Hopkinson. 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles.—Mrs Boatwood and Miss Pengelly beat M ; sses Cooper and Hamilton. 6-1, 6-3; Misses Hatch and Edwards beat Misses Hopkinson and Hopkinson, 7-5. 6-3. Shirley-South Brighton won by 5 matches to 1.