Canterbury Too Good For Marl borough

Press, Issue 30996, 28 February 1966, Page 15

Canterbury Too Good For Marl borough

Playing the same day as other representative teams were competing in Nelson for the Wilding Shield and Nunneley Casket, a Canterbury tennis team was given plenty of opposition by Marlborough at Blenheim on Saturday. Canterbury won by 9 matches to 7.

Because of a threat of rain the singles and the doubles were almost completed by lunch and Canterbury was in an unbeatable position. However, in the afternoon, it lost three of the four mixed doubles.

If the Canterbury men were superior, and each won his singles and the doubles in straight sets, the women were not. They met experienced players and lost three singles and one doubles. After the courts had been watered during the week there was an inch and a half of rain on Thursday night so that they were sodden still by Saturday. In the top men’s match, W. Edgecumbe (Canterbury) beat D. Winstanley, 6-1, 6-2, and came from the court covered in mud. Edgecumbe and the other Canterbury men adapted themselves to these conditions much better than their opponents did. Edgecumbe made good use of the drop shot.

D. France (Marlborough) was well off form when he took only one game from B. Crofts, but the third Marlborough man, P. O’Brien, used the conditions the best of his team. Aged 33, O’Brien did not play for about 10 years, but has returned to the game this season with considerable success. L. W. Watkins (Canterbury) won, 6-2, 6 4.

but after he fell and hurt a leg he had a considerable struggle to finish. Marlborough was without Its two top men, B. Baxter, who was attending a wedding, and R. Herd, who had just returned from a honeymoon. The women were much stronger. Mrs T Singer beat the promising Canterbury junior. Miss R. Dillon, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Miss Dillon did not start well, and was down 1-3 in the first set before she won it by making good use of the drop shot. However, in the second and third sets, Mrs Singer forced into the net and her greater experience proved decisive. Miss Dillon was not able to vary her play enough to win. Miss R. Smith, of Kaikoura, played excellently to beat Mrs A. Grant, and Mrs B. McNicol won the only women’s singles for Canterbury when she beat Mrs J. Wass, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Mrs McNicol was footfaulted frequently and did not seem to be able to correct it.

From 2-5 down in her first set, Mrs D. Macdonald (Canterbury) recovered to 7-6 and only lost 7-9. She played well for her first representative match. Results (Canterbury names first):—

Men’s Singles.—W. Edgecumbe beat D. Winstanley, 6-1, 6-2; B. Crofts beat D. France, 6-0, 6-1; L. W. Watkins beat P. O’Brien, 6-2, 6-4; I. D. Stanton beat G. Fowke, 6-2, 6-4. Women’s Singles.—Miss R. Dillon lost to Mrs T. Singer, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6; Mrs A. Grant lost to Miss R. Smith, 4-6, 2-6; Mrs B. McNicol beat Mrs J. Wass, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Mrs D. Macdonald lost to Miss P. Payne, 7-9, 4-6. Men’s Doubles.—Watkins and Crofts beat Winstanley and O'Brien, 6-0, 6-2; Edgecumbe and Stanton beat France and Fowke, 6-3, 6-3. Women’s Doubles.—Miss Dillon and Mrs McNicol lost to Mrs Singer and Miss Smith, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Mesdames Grant and Macdonald beat Mrs Wass and Miss Payne, 6-3, 6-0. Mixed Doubles. —Edgecumbe and Miss Dillon lost to Winstanley and Mrs Singer, 6-4, 1214, 6-4; Crofts and Mrs Grant lost to France and Miss Smith, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Watkins and Mrs McNicol beat O’Brien and Miss Payne, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0; Stanton and Mrs Macdonald lost to Fowke and Mrs W’ass, 8-6. 6-4.

Canterbury won by 9 matches to 7.