First Men’s Tennis Games Close

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30587, 2 November 1964, Page 14

First Men’s Tennis Games Close

Close contests were a feature of the first day of the senior men’s tennis competition at Wilding Park on Saturday. In three of the four fixtures, matches were equal at 3-3 and decisions had to be made on sets.

Because of the points system under which 10 are awarded for a team win and one for each individual match, Elmwood tabes the lead from the beginning; it was the only team which won on matches when it beat Beckenham, 5-1. The holder of the inter-club championship, Woolston, was given a determined struggle by United, a team which was stronger on Saturday than it will probably be for the rest of the season. R. McCutcheon will now leave for Wellington and the top man, G. A. Davidson, is not expected to be available again until after Christmas. Woolston won by 7 sets to 6. In the other matches, Edgeware, winner of last season’s second section, beat last season’s bottom team, Cashmere, by 8 sets to 7 and North Linwood beat University by 9 sets to 8.

The points are:—Elmwood 15, Edgeware 13, Woolston 13, North Unwood 13, University 3, United 3, Cashmere 3, Beckenham 1. And if the team results were close so were some of the individual matches, 12 of the 24 going to three sets. One that did not was perhaps the most interesting when the 16-year-old Beckenham top man, J. W. Mitchell, beat the province’s second-ranked man of last season. W. Thom (Elmwood), 6-4. 6-3. Thom bad won the Labour week-end tournament the previous week-end but he did not have the same control of his shots. Mitchell, on the other hand, was in very sound form. That was the only match Beckenham won for L. W. Watkins, J. W. Duggan and L. G. Legge, a Chrlstcßurch Boys' High School lad playing his first senior match, were too strong for the others. Stockily built, Legge was most Impressive and should enhance the senior competition. He showed an attractive forehand hit with topspin and marked follow-through when he beat the tall W. Davis wtth the loss of only one game in each set.

Canterbury’s top man, Davidson (United), was hitting as hard as usual when he beat B. J. Aldridge (Woolston), 6-4, 6-4, and McCutcheon used his well-produced ground strokes to advantage to beat the steady M. Agar, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Results: Elmwood v. Beckenham Singles.—W. Thom lost to J. Mitchell, 4-6, 3-6: L. W. Watkins beat R. Blunt, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1: J. W. Duggan beat G. Freear, 6-4, 6-1; L. G. Legge beat W. Davis, 6-1, 6-1. Doubles.—Thom and Watkins beat Mitchell and Davis, 7-5, 8- 6-4; Duggan and Legge beat Blunt and Freear, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. Elmwood won by 5 matches to 1. Edgeware V. Cashmere Singles.—B. Crofts beat P. S. Alexander, 9-7, 6-8, 7-5; E. L. Martin beat I. D. Armstrong, 63, 6-4; A. Gowans lost to J. Cullington, 1-6, 3-6; E. Ogier beat D. Broderick, 6-3, 10-8. Doubles.—Crofts and Gowans lost to Alexander and Armstrong, 3-6, 6-4, 1-6: Martin and Ogier lost to Cullington and Broderick, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6. Edgeware won by 8 sets to 7. United v. Woolston Singles.—G. A. Davidson beat B. J. Aldridge, 6-4, 6-4; R. McCutcheon beat M. Agar. 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; W. G. Lewthwaite lost to G. G. Ford, 6-8, 3-6; E. van Yesselsteyn lost to V. Price, 3-6, 1-6. Doubles.—Davidson and McCutcheon beat Aldridge and Ford, 6-2, 6-2; Lewthwaite and van Yesselsteyn lost to Agar and Price. 4-6, 2-6. Woolston won by 7 sets to 6. North Linwood v. UnlversHy Singles.—J. Martin beat R. Goodall, 6-4, 6-6, 11-9; P. Angland lost to J. Taylor, 1-6, 6-4, 3-6; R. Payne lost to D. Preston. 6-4, 7-9, 1-6; B. Crawford beat G. Hastie, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Doubles.—Angland and Payne lost to Goodall and Preston, 4-6, 9- 5-7; Martin and Crawford beat Taylor and Hastie, 6-4, 6-3. North Linwood won by 9 sets to 8. FIRST MIXED B St. Paul’s beat University by 13 matches to 3; Woolston beat North Linwood by 15 matches to 12; Spreydon beat Avonslde by 10 matches to 6; Elmwood beat Barrington by 16 matches to 0. SECOND CHADS MIXED Section I St. Nlnian’s beat Opawa by 11 matches to 5; Edgewaro beat Shirley I by 13 matches to 3; Fendalton beat St. Mary's by 11 matches to 4.