Unbeaten Cox Takes Doubles

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31269, 16 January 1967, Page 3

Unbeaten Cox Takes Doubles

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON. The Englishman, M. Cox, was not beaten in singles or doubles on the New Zealand circuit in Wellington, North Island and New Zealand championships. By last evening he had won three singles titles, two doubles titles and one mixed doubles title. Neither the Wellington nor North Island mixed doubles was completed.

Cox and his wife, Mrs A. Cox, were partners in the mixed doubles and they are both left-handers. On Saturday afternoon they won the first title of the national tournament when they beat J. B. Souter (Wellington) and Mrs E. Mitchell (Northland), 6-4, 3-'’, 6-2.

The only other mixed title they have won was at Felixtowe in 1962 when they also beat New Zealanders in the final—R. N. Hawkes and Miss P. Belton, now Mrs P. Stevens. Combined Well Combining well, on Saturday the Coxes took full advantage of Cox’s strong service and Mrs Cox excelled overhead, especially in the third set. Yesterday Cox and his fellow Englishman, G. Stilwell, beat the Linton Cup doubles pair, B. E. Fairlie (Auckland) and J. Mitchell (Canterbury), 9-7, 52, 6-8, 7-5. Seeded fourth, Fairlie and Mitchell, had done well to beat the second-seeded pair, Hawkes and R. G. Clarke, of Wellington, 54, 3-6, 54, 51, in a semi-final on Saturday. They met stronger opponents yesterday in Cox and Stilwell, but they gave a grand performance. The first set went for 15 games before a service was broken and it was Mitchell who lapsed. It seemed inevitable that the Englishmen would win and after his singles Fairlie

seemed a little tired. Then they recovered to take the third set in which they broke Cox’s service twice —no mean achievement. Both returned service well and Mitchell volleyed soundly. Dropped Service

In the last set they were even at 5-5 but Fairlie dropped his service. The women’s doubles finalists were, like the singles finalists, unrelated to the seeding. The top-seeded pair of Mrs Mitchell and Miss C. Fleming (Auckland) were eliminated in Saturday’s semifinals by the third-seeded Mrs E. Odgers and Miss B. Paterson, of Waikato. Yesterday Mrs Odgers and Miss Paterson were in turn beaten by the fourth-seeded Mrs P. Stevens (Northland) and Miss P. Rogan (Auckland), 54, 52, in the final.