Canterbury Challenger For Wilding Shield

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 20

Canterbury Challenger For Wilding Shield

The Canterbury men’s tennis team beat Marlborough very comfortably in a zone 111 Wilding Shield match at Wilding Park on Saturday. As they were the only entrants in the zone, Canterbury has qualified to challenge the holder, Auckland, for the shield on March 23 and 24.

After the singles Canterbury led by 7 matches to 1 and could not lose and the fixture ended with only the one Canterbury loss, the score 11 matches to 1. Canterbury’s only loss was surprisingly suffered by the Australian, B. Leech, his first on Wilding Park. No Canterbury man had been able to beat him at that stage but it took a Marlborough player to do it B. Baxter, who played In

Christchurch for several seasons and who was a successful club representative and tournament player when he was here, showed that he is still one of the most competent players in the South Island. Leech had suffered a leg injury the previous week-end and he certainly did not seem to be covering the court as well as he usually does but this does not detract from Baxter’s performance. He stood up on Leech’s service, which is not fast, and hit it on the rise. This is something none of the Canterbury men has done. Baxter took the game to his opponent and did not let him settle into his clever, placing game. Canterbury’s top man, J. Mitchell, however, had Baxter’s measure. After a long three-set struggle against the second Marlborough man, R. Herd, when he was not timing well, not hitting as crisply as usual and not getting in to the net, Mitchell gave Baxter little chance and allowed him only three games. Canterbury’s third and fourth players, R. McCutcheon and B. Aldridge, were in devastating form against players who were not up to their class. McCutcheon attacked throughout his matches with D. Winstanley and G. Eaton, although he received some returns from Eaton which rather surprised him. Aldridge was in similar aggressive mood to beat both Winstanley and Eaton by the same score, 6-0, 6-2. Results (Canterbury names first):— Singles J. Mitchell beat B. Baxter, 6-0. 6-3. beat B. Herd, 6-4, 6-8, 8-6: A. Leech beat Herd. 7-5, 8-6; lost to Baxter. 6-8, 2-6; R. McCutcheon beat D. Winstanley, 6-2, 6-4: beat G. Eaton 6-1, 6-1; B. Aldridge beat Eaton, 6-0. 6-1, beat Winstanley 6-0, 6-2. Doubles Mitchell and Leech beat Baxter and Herd. 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, beat Baton and Winstanley, 6-0, 6-4; McCutcheon and Aldridge beat Eaton and Winstanley, 6-2, 6-1 beat Baxter and Herd. 7-6. 6-3.

Canterbury won by 11 matches to 1.

A Linwood Avenue pair, B. Leech and I. Stanton, will play

a Woolston pair, B. Aldridge and R. Neumann, in the final of the show tournament doubles next Sunday. At Wilding Park yesterday, Leech and Stanton beat J. Mitchell and W. Thom, in the semifinal that was not able to be played on the last day of the tournament because of rain, or at any time since. Leech and Stanton proved to be an admirable combination. Leech’s clever placement and his remarkable anticipation were supplemented by Stanton’s strong service and quick reaction. They also made fewer errors to win, 6-4, 6-4. Stanton had a hard day because he also played three matches in a representaitve contest with West Coast. The final of the singles between Mitchell and Leech, in which Mitchell leads, 2-0, will also be completed next Sunday.