LAWN TENNIS Canterbury’s Narrow Loss To Wellington

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28217, 4 March 1957, Page 11

LAWN TENNIS Canterbury’s Narrow Loss To Wellington

f, The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON, March 3. Down 11-5, Canterbury won five matches in a row in its annual lawn tennis contest against Wellington, and lost only 13-11. Canterbury’s spirited play was a surprise to Wellington, which had put its strongest men’s team and almost its strongest women’s team in the field. Canterbury women players won five out of six singles, but Canterbury’s sole winner in the men’s singles was C. W. Pritchard, who beat the Wilding Shield player, B. S M. Mackie, 6-3, 11-9. G. A. Eurton held match point against B. R. Boon, the Wellington player who recently beat the Davis Cup team members C. T. Parker and L. A. Gerrard. Burton lost, 6-1, 3-6, 5-7, after leading 5-2 in the final set. Of great satisfaction to Canterbury was the fine play of Miss L. Luxton and Miss J. Davidson. Miss Luxton beat Miss G. Tomkins, 6-1, 6-2. Miss Tomkins had beaten Miss P. Nettleton in the recent Wellington-Auckland Nunneley Casket match but yesterday lacked confidence against the resourceful all-round play of Miss Luxton. Miss Davidson hit with great pace against Mrs T. McGregor, the former Nunneley Casket player, who has been playing good tennis recently. Mrs McGregor could not handle the junior’s speed. Mrs J. Lewis gave a grand display to beat Mrs M. Painter, another former Casket player, still near the top in Wellington. Miss G. Hopkinson and Mrs J. McKay also impressed in their singles matches. A. D. L. Hunter had a good day, taking M. L. Dunn to 3-6, 4-6, in a hard-hitting singles match. He won both doubles matches partnered by Miss Luxton and A. L. Blackwell. Blackwell found J. R. McDonald too strong in the singles.

A good win at 10-8 in the firsi set by Misses Davidson and Hopkinson over Misses Smith and

Tomkins was one of the late afternoon victories which kept Canterbury in the match. Results (Wellington names first) were:— Men’s Singles J. R. McDonald beat L. Blackwell, 6-1, 6-1; B. R. Boon beat G. A. Burton, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5; B. Mackie lost to C. W. Pritchard, 3-6, 9-11; M. L. Dunn beat A. D. L. Hunter, 6-3, 6-4; P. Taylor beat M. Healey, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2; R. Taylor beat B. R. Crawford, 6-2, 6-1. Women’s Singles Miss G. Tompkins lost to Miss L. Luxton, 1-6, 2-6; Mrs S. Painter lost to Mrs J. Lewis, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6; Mrs D. McGregor lost to Miss J. Davidson, 1-6, 3-6; Miss F. Cliff lost to Miss G. Hopkinson, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6; Miss J. Kent lost to Mrs J. McKay, 0-6, 5- Miss M. Johnston beat Miss A. Snow, 6-4, 6-2. Men’s Doubles Boon and Dunn lost to Blackwell and Hunter, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6; Mackie and McDonald beat Burton and Pritchard, 6-3, 6-1; Taylor and Taylor lost to Healey and Crawford, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6. Women’s Doubles Mrs McGregor and Mrs Painter lost to Miss Luxton and Mrs Lewis, 6- 3-6; Miss Cliff and Miss Tompkins lost to Miss Davidson and Miss Hopkinson, 6-4, 4-6, 8-10; Miss Johnston and Miss Kent beat Mrs McKay and Miss Snow, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Mixed Doubles McDonald and Miss Tompkins beat Blackwell and Miss Davidson, 7-5. 6-4; Boon and Mrs Painter lost to Hunter and Miss Luxton, 2-6, 4-6; Mackie and Mrs McGregor beat Healey and Mrs Lewis, 3-6, 8-6, 6-4; Dunn and Miss Cliff beat Burton and Miss Hopkinson, 6-4, 6-3; P. Taylor and Miss Kent beat Pritchard and Mrs McKay, 6-2, 6-2; R. Taylor and Miss Johnston beat Crawford and Miss Snow, 6-0, 6-2.

INTER-CLUB MATCHES

FIRST GRADE TO OPAWA Opawa took its second club title for the season when it beat Riccarton Domain in the final of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association's first grade mixed competition at Wilding Park on Saturday. The club had previously won the senior men's competition and it will now hold both these trophies in its jubilee year. Opawa, winner of Section I of the competition beat the section II winner, Riccarton Domain, by 10 matches to 6 in Saturday’s final. T. Howe won the top men’s singles for Opawa by beating P. Flynn, 9-4, and H. Hunter (Opawa) beat D. Flynn, 9-5. Mrs B. Lee and