LAWN TENNIS Opawa And Shirley Win Qualifying

Press, Volume C, Issue 29657, 30 October 1961, Page 6

LAWN TENNIS Opawa And Shirley Win Qualifying

Twe teams wMcb attempted te get beck inte the senior men’s and senior wensen’s interclub tennis cempetttiens this season were both unsneeessful when they played in qualifying matehes at the United club’s grass eeurts on Saturday. Because there were nine entries for each of the competitions, which are limited to eight teams, the new men s entry, St. Albans, had to play last season's bottom team in the men’s competition, Opawa, and the new women’s team, Elmwood, had to play Shirley which was bottom last season. Opawa always looked as if it had the contest under control when it beat St. Albans by 4 matches to 2. and Shirley beat Elmwood without the loss of a match. St. Albans was in the men’s competition in 1959-60 but was put out by Edgeware in a qualifying match at the beginning of last season Elmwood was in the women's j competition in 1957-58 but was not again an entry until this season. Both teams showed on Saturday that they are not yet ready to be included again. Top Players However, the top players in both teams, B. Judge (St. Albans) and Miss S. Rich (Elmwood), were both senior I players last season, Judge •for United and Miss Rich for iFendalton. Now Judge will I play for University and Miss I Rich will play for United I although she may not be available immediately. Judge will travel overseas with the New Zealand hocskey team in December but he would have several matches before that. Top for St. Albans the season before last, he had five wins in six singles. Last season for United he won three out of four singles in a lower position. Miss Rich, who has been in hospital, has played hardly any tennis this season and although she played in their doubles and from that was unable to play her singles and had to default to Miss J. Hatch. The teams which were defending their positions in the competition won both their double sand from that their wins looked assured. In the top men’s singles, G. Moss, the Canterbury champion and second-ranked man in the province last season, and Judge, had a good match but the winner was always obvious. Moss won. 6-2, 6-3 Judge looked very fit from a season's hockey and he played some fine shots, especially down the sidelines but he did not have Moss’s all-round stroke ability or such a well-balanced game. Judge lost some points through overhitting and Moss also gave away some easy ones but he always looked to be in control. The second- Opawa player, P. Boatwood, has an attractive style and he looks to be an improving player but he found himself virtually against a brick wall when he met M. O’Malley, Of St. Albans. O’Malley returned tenaciously to win, 6-4, 6-2, after taking advantage of Boatwood’s mistakes. When S. Clarke (Opawa) beat V. Price 6-4, 6-3, with his greater pace and J. Averill (Opawa) lost to I. Laby, 7-5, 4-6. 6-8. it meant the singles had been halved and so the result depended on the doubles played earlier. Net As Close The women’s contest was not nearly as closely-fought although it could have been if Miss Rich had been properly fit. However, after winning both the doubles in two sets, the Shirley players also won the three singles that were played quite comfortably. One of the most impressive of the Shirley players was Miss J. Cusdin. Playing in the second singles, she beat Miss V. Tucker, 6-1, 6-4. Her shots looked stylish and wellproduced but -they could do with more speed. She also combined well with Miss J. Hatch in the top doubles. Miss Hatch played for United last season without a great deal of success but she looked in Saturday’s doubles as if she may be a stronger force this season. It was unfortunate that she was not tested against Miss Rich. Results:— SENIOR MEN Opawa v. st. Albans Singles.—G. Moss beat B Judge, 6-2, 6-3; P. Boatwood lost to M. O'Malley. 4-6. 2-6: S. Clarke beat V. Price. 6-4. 6-3: J. Averill lost to I. Laby, 7-3. 4-6. 6-8. Doubles.—Moes and Boatwood beat Judge and Laby. 6-1. 7-3; Clarke and Averill beat Price and O’Malley, 4-8, 10-8. 6-3. _ Opawa won by 4 matches to SENIOR WOMBNS Shirley V. Elmwaod Singles.—Miss J. Hatch beat Miss S. Rich, by default; Miss J. Cusdin beat Miss V. Tucker. 6-1. 6-4; Miss E. Reaston beat Miss B. Dawson. 6-1, 1-6 (re-

tired); Mrs P. Sanders beat Miss >. Preston, 8-3, 8-3. Doubles.—Misses Hatch and Cusdin beat Misses Rich and Dawson. 8-2. «-t: Miss Reaston and Mrs Sanders beat Misses Tucker and* Preston, 8-4, 8-2. Shirley won by 8 matches to 0.