Edgeware Wins Both Senior Tennis Grades

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31323, 20 March 1967, Page 9

Edgeware Wins Both Senior Tennis Grades

Before last Saturday’s final matches in the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior grades, it seemed almost certain play-offs would be necessary in both men’s and women’s competitions. Various circumstances ensured neither needed the play-off and Edgeware won both.

A club that has recently been involved in the disorganisation of shifting from St. Albans Park to Innes road must have received a considerable boost to its efforts to become established in a new area.

When the players went on to the courts on Saturday in the top section of the me®JF grade United had 50 points, Edgeware 46, Elmwood 43, and Woolston 21. The first three all had a chance of winning. Elmwood was expected to beat Woodston comfortably and the other fixture was expected to be close. First, Woolston did Edgeware a good turn by holding Elmwood to the narrowest of wins—equal in matches, equal in sets, and the margin, 64 games to 61. Edgeware won both doubles but B. Crofts and E. L. Martin (Edgeware) had a long struggle with J. Griffiths and J. Taylor before they triumphed. The singles were only beginning when the result of the Woolston-Elmwood encounter was known.

The Edgeware playere rose wonderfully to the occasion. First, P. V. Boatwood beat B. McCutcheon in the top singles when, on their ratings over recent seasons, the match should have been McCutcheon’s. Then L. W. Watkins beat Taylor comfortably In the fourth singles. When Crofts led Griffiths 5-1 In their first set Edgeware seemed assured of its fifth win. It made quite certain by winning everything. The final points were: Premier Section.— Edgeware 62, Elmwood 56, United 50, Woolston 24. Hartford Shield.— North Linwood 87 University 47, Beckenham 34. Cashmere 24. Flayed Keenly The Edgeware men played keenly from the beginning. In the top doubles Boatwood and Watkins used care and accuracy and gave nothing away. McCutcheon, on the other hand, played a number of loose ones. The other doubles, although not of particularly high standard, was a gruelling struggle and one of the decisive factors was Crofts's tactlcsfl ability. Edgeware held two match points at 5-4 on Martin’s service but Taylor made two brilliant saves so that It was not until 6-8 that the Edgeware pair won, again on Martin’s service.

Boatwood played excellently to beat McCutcheon, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Be varied length and direction, he attacked at the right times and he coped adequately with McCutcheon's fine backhand returns. McCutcheon made the more errors. Crofts, with his usual determination and intelligent approach to the game, was much too sound for the young J. Griffiths in winning, 6-1, 6-2. Martin was at his stylish best when he beat Lewthwaite, 6-2, 84, and Watkins always had the measure of Taylor 6-3, 6-1. Woolston, the bottom team of the section, did well to hold Elmwood to three matches all and the top man, B. J. Aldridge, gained one of his best wins of the season when he beat W. Thom, 6-3, 6-2. Woolston was also strengthened by the return to the side of G. Ford who beat L. Legge with the loss of only five games. In 'the lower section, for the Hartford Shield, there was more interest in which team would be last because North Linwood has had the section won for some time. Cashmere needed to beat North Linwood to pull itself up and avoid having to play the promotion-relegation match but it lost, 2-4.

In the other fixture, University had a stronger side than it has had all the season with last year’s tenth New Zealand junior, J. Borren, an acquisition from Hutt Valley, only able to make third place. University beat Beckenham. 5-1, and the top man, J. Martin did well to take the province’s top player. J. Mitchell, to 5-7, 4-6

Women's Grade in the women'! grade also, Edgeware was helped by a team other than the one it was playing. When play began the team points were Edgeware 81, Avonside 54, Elmwood 80, United 40. Edgeware and Elmwood were expected to win and to stay close enough to necessitate the play-off yesterday. But United surprised by turning the tables on Elmwood to win, 4-2, and this gave Edgeware, with a 4-2 win over Avonside, the necessary margin of points. The points were:—Edge ware (5, Elmwood 82, Avonside 56,

United 54. Elmwood started badly by losing both doubles so that its fair share of the singles was not enough. However, the top Elmwood player, the national under-17 champion, Miss K. Legge, was in grand form when she beat C. Andrew, 6-0, 6-3. She served smoothly and hit all her shots hard. Edgeware also lost two singles but it made sure of both the doubles and this gave it the win. In the top singles, Miss S. Field (Avonside) finished the season on a high note by beating a young rival, Miss R. Dillon, 6-3, 6-2. SENIOR MEN PREMIER SECTION United v. Edgeware Singles.—R. McCutcheon lost to P. V. Boatwood, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6; J. Griffiths lost to B. W. Crofts, 1-6, 2-6; W. G. Lewthwaite lost to E. L. Martin, 2-6, 2-6; J. Taylor lost to L. W. Watkins, 3-6, 1Doubles.—McCutcheon and Lewthwaite lost to Boatwood and Watkins, 2-6, 4-6; Griffiths and Taylor lost to Martin and Crofts, 6-3, 4-6, 8-10. Edgeware won by 6 matches to 0. Woolston v. Elmwood Singles.—B. J. Aldridge beat W. Thom, 6-3, 6-2; R. Neumann lost to W. Edgecumbe. 6-3, 1-6, 2- G. Ford beat L. Legge, 6-1, 6-4; G. Exeter lost to G. Rodley, 2-6, 0-6. Doubles.—Aldridge and Exeter lost to Thom and Legge, 4-6, 4-6; Neumann and Ford beat Edgecumbe and Rodley, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. Elmwood won by 64 games to 61. HARTFORD SHIELD Cashmere v. North Linwood Singles.—P. S. Alexander lost to P. Angland, 6-4, 0-6, 1-6; J. Dickie beat J. Cullington, 6-0.

2-6. 7-5; T. Wilson lost to B. Crawford. 2J, 3A; S. Bullen lost to R. Watoon, 4-6, 5-7. Doubles.—Alexander and Wilson lost to Cullington and Watson, 7-9, 1-6; Dickie and Bullen beat Angland and Crawford, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0. North Linwood won by 4 matches to 2. University v. Beckenham Singles.—J. Martin lost to J. W. Mitchell, 5-7, 4-6; C. Ronayne beat W. Tuck, 6-1, 6-3; J. Barren beat J. Cowern, 6-0, 6.4; M. Dow beat P. McGoldrick, 6J. 6-3. Doubles.—Martin and Dow beat Mitchell and McGoldrick, 6-4, 7-5; Ronayne and Barren beat Tuck and Cowern, 6-3, 6-0. University won by 5 matches to 1. SENIOR WOMEN Elmwood v. United Singles.—Miss R. Legge beat Miss C. Andrew, 6-0, 6-3; Miss A. Lawrence lost to Miss E. Ogilvie, 2A, 3-6; Miss G. Palliser lost to Mdss H. Watt, 4-6, 6-8; Miss H. Page beat Mdss H. Smith, 6-2, 6-1. Doubles.—Misses Legge and Lawrence lost to Masses Andrew and Oglivie, 5-7, t£, 2-6; Misses Palliser and Page lost to Misses Watt and Smith, 2-6, 2-6. United won by 4 matches to 2. Edgeware v. Avonside Singles—Miss R. Dillon lost to Miss S. Field, 3-6, 2-6; Mdss R. Walls lost to Miss F. Thompson, 8-6, 2-6, 3-6; Miss J. Habgood beat Miss S. Bruce, 6.3, 6-2; Mrs P. Boatwood beat Mrs D. Macdonald, 7-5, 6-4. Doubles.—Misses DHlon and Habgood beat Misses Field and Thomson, 6-0, 8-6; Mdss Walls and Mrs Boatwood beat Miss Bruce .and Mrs Macdonald, 6J, 5.7, 6-2. Edgeware won by 4 matches to 2.