Edgeware Holds Lead In Senior Tennis

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31583, 22 January 1968, Page 9

Edgeware Holds Lead In Senior Tennis

Edgeware stayed at the top of the Christchurch senior men’s tennis competition, but only by a one-set win, when competition tennis resumed at Wilding Park on Saturday.

Edgeware’s win was in doubt until P. Boatwood took the second set in his match with R. McCutcheon at 12-10.

Most of the players were showing the effects of their absence from competition tennis since December 16. Even some of the players who had competed in the Canterbury, South Island and New Zealand championships were out of form. Rain during the previous evening had made the courts a little slippery, but they were in excellent order considering the amount of hard play on them in recent weeks. Linwood Avenue beat Elmwood by five matches to one. Edgeware beat United by seven sets to six, and North Linwood beat Woolston by five matches to one, Beckenham having the bye. Competition points, after six rounds, are:—Edgeware 65, North Linwood 60, Linwood Avenue 58, United 37, Beckenham 24, Woolston 23, and Elmwood 21. United is now the only team to have a bye. Edgeware had a struggle with United and was one match, two sets and one game up on United when Boatwood (Edgeware) and McCutcheon (United) met in the final singles. Before then, the doubles matches had been shared. B. Crofts and L. Martin had had easy singles wins for Edgeware, but so had J. Dickie for United. McCutcheon needed to win in two sets for United to beat Edgeware, and duly won the first, 6-4.. Boatwood broke McCutcheon’s serve early in the second set, but lost his own, and the score was 10-all before McCutcheon lost concentration and lost, 1012. McCutcheon won the third set, 6-1. Linwood Avenue overwhelmed Elmwood. B. Leech emphasised the loss Christchurch tennis will suffer when he returns to Australia next month by crushing W. Thom, conceding only one game in 13. L. Legge made too many elementary errors against I. Stanton and G. Rodley went down to B. Ward after running away with the first set. R. Treeby gained Elmwood’s only win, but did not nlav narticularlv well.

In a match which lasted 90 minutes, B. Aldridge beat J. Martin to give Woolston its only win against North Linwood. After early inconsistencies, both players settled down and played the best tennis of the day. Both had chances to win in the final set, but Aldridge made fewer errors. Woolston won a set in both « doubles matches and was not r disgraced. R. Neumann had a n long match with an in-form P. ” An gland before losing, 7-5, 6-2, and I. Behrnes could have won both the sets he lost to R. J Payne. • With only one series of matches to be played before 8 the end of the competition’s 8 first round, Edgeware, North ® Linwood and Linwood Avenue K have established a clear lead ® over the other four teams. North Linwood will play - Edgeware next Saturday and • Linwood Avenue will meet ] Beckenham. At least one of J the top three teams must lose 8 its commanding position, leavB ing one or two teams ahead by 10 points. r Next week’s matches will de- • cide which of the three will 1 not win the competition, but is • unlikel yto decide which will • win it. B Results were:— i Linwood Avenue v. Elmwood , Singles.—B. Leech beat W. i Thom, 6-0, 6-1; I. Stanton beat - L. Legge, 6-1, 6-4; B. Ward beat > G. Rodley, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5; L. Vailance lost to R. Treeby, 5-7, 2-6. b Doubles.—Leech and Stanton . beat Thom and Legge, 8-6, 6-4; 1 Ward and Vallance beat Treeby , and Rodley, 7-5, 6-4. Linwood Avenue beat Elmi wood by 5 matches to 1. J Edgware v. United Singles.—P. Boatwood lost to , R. McCutcheon, 4-6, 12-10, 1-6; 5 B. Crofts beat W. Smith, 6-4, ' 6-3; L. Elliott lost to J. Dickie, ; 1-6, 2-6; L. Martin beat L. 1 Blackwell, 6-0, 6-1. Doubles.—Boatwood and Crofts beat Smith and Dickie, 7-5. 6-3; ’ Martin and Elliott lost to Mc- ! Cutcheon and Blackwell, 1-6, [ Edgeware beat United by 7 ’ sets to 6. North Linwood v. Woolston Singles.—J. Martin lost to B. Aldridge, 3-6, 8-6, 7-9; P. Angland beat R. Neumann, 7-5, 6-2; • R. Payne beat I. Behrnes, 6-4, i 7-5; R. Bruce beat T. Thomas, ■ 7-5, 6-1. Doubles.—Martin and Angland : beat Aldridge and Thomas, 6-3, . 6-8. 6-4; Payne and Bruce beat

Neumann and Behrnes, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. North Linwood beat Woolston by 5 matches to 1.