Cashmere Holds Place In Tennis

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30575, 19 October 1964, Page 14

Cashmere Holds Place In Tennis

A very young Linwood Avenue team failed in its bid to enter the senior men’s tennis competition yesterday but it did not fail badly. Beaten by last season’s bottom side, Cashmere, by 5 matches to 1, it gave a better performance than that score suggests.

In fact, its top man, I. D. Stanton, at least showed he was well worthy of a senior place when he beat P. S. Alexander, 6-3, 5-7, 6-0. Ranked equal first in the province at the end of the 1962-63 season, Alexander has shifted from University to Cashmere this season and he is already being looked to to become a leading player again.

“cut that out.” Alexander still played some of his most delightful shots but he also played more loose ones than usual and he was not moving to the ball well. Tall and slim, Stanton played with care and purpose and he was quite superior in the last sets.

The left-handed Molnar was not the player in singles he was in doubles and Shirlaw beat him, 6-2, 6-2 with little difficulty. Another of the Cashmere players who felt the effects of the season’s first competition game was I. D. Armstrong when he beat L. Vallance, 12-10, 6-4. However, Armstrong, who must have been giving his opponent about 20 years, keeps himself just as fit as the juniors and his double-handed shots are always placed well enough to beat all but the best of them. The fourth singles was also a close struggle in which J. Dickie (Cashmere) beat B. Keeley, 6-4, 7-5. In the senior reserve elimination contest, Cashmere also retained its place when it beat the challenger Avonside by 4 matches to 2. Second grade matches scheduled for Saturday at Wilding Park were unable to be played. Cashmere v. Linwood Avenue Singles.—P. S. Alexander lost to I. D. Stanton, 3-6, 7-5, 0-6; B. Shirlaw beat S. Molnar, 6-2. 6-2; I. D. Armstrong beat L. Vallance, 12-10, 6-4: J. Dickie beat B. Keeley, 6-4, 7-5. Doubles.—Alexander and Shirlaw beat Stanton and Molnar, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Armstrong and Dickie beat Vallance and Keeley, 6-2, 6-2. Cashmere won by 5 matches to 1. Cashmere y. Avonside Single.—D. Brodrick beat V. Jensen, 5-6, 6-0, 6-3; J. Cullington beat B. Walker, 6-1, 6-3; L. Le Comte lost to A. Knight, 1-6, 6-5. 3-6; M. Blank beat D. Macdonald, 6-3, 6-0. Doubles.—Brodrick and Cullington beat Jensen and Walker, 6-4, 6-4; Blank and Le Comte lost to Knight and Macdonald, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6. Cashmere won by 4 matches to 2.

The Linwood avenue team of 18 and 19-year-old lads will now go into the senior reserve competition and Cashmere, a winner df the senior competition as recently as 1962 will hold its place. The Cashmere team is probably a stronger one than it was last season and in this Linwood Avenue was unfortunate. It might have had a better chance against some of the others. This elimination match was to have been played at the United Club’s courts on Saturday morning but the rain made that impossible. It was changed to Wilding Park yesterday afternoon and therefore had to be played on the hard courts. There was considerable merit in the effort by the young challenging team but it was behind throughout. I. D. Stanton and S. Molnar, holders of the Canterbury under-19 doubles title, made a determined attempt to take a doubles from the top Cashmere pair, Alexander and B. J. Shirlaw. Molnar is a volleyer of great ability with an exceedingly quick reaction and Stanton was his usual concentrating and determined self, but they did not have quite the finesse of their opponents. Stanton’s Win

In the singles, Stanton’s fitness and perseverance enabled him to triumph over an Alexander who has put on a lot of weight. At one stage Alexander was begging a continually returning Stanton to