Remarkable Doubles In Secondary Tennis

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31866, 19 December 1968, Page 13

Remarkable Doubles In Secondary Tennis

Canterbury’s top woman player. R. Legge, won the open girls’ singles, and R. Tuck won the open boys’ singles for the second year in succession on the third day of the Canterbury secondary schools’ ten-, nis tournament at Wilding Park yesterday. But their matches were not the most remarkable of day.

This award must be given to an under 16 boys’ doubles final in which K. Lewis, of Hillmorton High School, and P. Mathewson, of Christchurch Boys’ High School, beat T. Mooney and P. Gilmour, of St Bede’s College, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2. Beaten 6-0 in the first set, Lewis and Mathewson adopted a pattern of play which won them the match, but it made it look like an under 13 girls’ first round rather than an under 16 final.

They lobbed, lobbed, and lobbed. The lob is a wonderful weapon in tennis, and one that has often been neglected, but like other shots it can be played well and badly. For example, New Zealand’s leading player, B. E. Fairlie, has a topspun lob which bounds away from the baseline, gained from his overseas experience. The lobbing in yesterday’s match was essentially negative and done, it seemed, with the object of making opponent’s impatient so that they hit wildly and lost points. The ploy certainly worked. Mooney and Gilmour should have coped with it, but they | lost their confidence and they fell into the trap. ; The disappointing feature I is that two players just a i little better or perhaps themselves if they had not been I so psychologically unprepared would have thrashed Lewis 'and Mathewson playing such a game on grass. The imagination balks at what two Aucki landers in smashing and volleying mood would have done to some of the returns ! which were so painfully slow. However, Lewis and Mathewson won by being stronger mentally and they will doubtless claim this justified the method. Miss Legge Attacks Miss Legge could probably have played them by herself if she was in the same form*

as she was when she beat Miss R. Dillon, 6-1, 6-3, in their final. An Avonside Girls’ High School representative, she was devastating in her attack against the St Mary’s College girl. Miss Dillon. in the first set. Then, in the middle of the second set, Miss Dillon, down, 1-4, made a good recovery which took her to 3-4 and an appearance of control with deep, pacy drives before Miss Legge took over again. Miss Legge’s forcing play of strong service, swept drive and punched volley was yesterday «lso very accurate, and this made her too much for Miss Dillon who. on Saturday, will play a semi-final in the Wellington championships against Miss B. McNeilly, of Hutt Valley, who eliminated Miss Legge last week-end. Miss Dillon played a grdat deal to Miss Legge’s backhand but it was going well, and this helped to make the winner as confident as she was. These two had earlier combined to win the open girls’ doubles when they beat G. Hampton, of Avonside Girls’ High School and G. Iredale, of St Mary’s College, with the loss of only two games. The Cashmere, boy, Tuck, fin-, ished with the distinction of not losing a game in the singles when he beat G. Calvert, of Burnside High School, in the final, 6-0, 6-0. Calvert, virtually unknown in Canterbury tournaments, had surprised by beating another Cashmere player, R. MeGimpsey. 6-4, 6-1 in a semi-final but he was no match for Tuck who took advantage of his weaker second service. Tuck was as steady as usual and he went to the net for winners. Calvert played more loose shots. Tuck and McGimpsey won the double from Calvert ana another Burnside player, S. McEwan, 7-5, 6-4.

Under Ift Today The under 16 singles sections have to be completed today. No matches were played yesterday in the boys’ singles. in which the semi-finals are Lewis v. P. Mitchell, of Christchurch Boys’ High School; and R. Versteeg (Cashmere) v. Mooney. In the girls’ final today the top seeded P. Bamford (St Mary’s), this week named top of the Canterbury under 17 list, will play S. Moore (Cashmere), seeded fourth, who is sixth on the list, although Miss Moore was ranked first to Miss Bamford’s second on the national under 15 list last season. Each won a semi-final in straight sets yesterday. Late in the day after many matches, R. Dillon (St Bede’s) beat Gilmour in the final of the third form boys’ singles. Dillon competed in both the open and under 16 mixed doubles, and in the under 16 boys’ doubles and Gilmour was involved in the long under 16 doubles final. Gilmour complained of a stomach ache for which he had to take aspirin and he lost the first set, 3-6 to a careful Dillon. He was down, 1-5 in the second set but he caught up courageously and made a great battle of it in spite of his tiredness. surviving a number of match points before he lost, 3-6, 6-8. A tall wiry girl, P. Smitheram. of Avonside Girls’ High School, seeded first, won the third form girls’ singles with the loss of only one game to E. Meates, of Sacred Heart in the final. Meates beat the second seeded B. Macdonald (Avonside) in a semi-final.

Smitheram hit harder and longer and had more control. ■Meates returned service well

but after that she had difficulty getting to the ball and getting into position with her Abbreviations used in the results are; Avon., Avonside Girls’ High School; Rangi-Ruru, Rang!Ruru Girls’ School; St Marg., St Margaret’s College; St M., St Mary’s College: C.G.H.S., Christchurch Girls’ High'School; S.H., Sacred Heart College; V.M., Villa Maria College; Cot., Cottesmore; Tim., Timaru Girls' High School; Cash,, Cashmere High School; Burn., Burnside High School; Mair., Maitehau High School; Hill., Hillmorton High School; C.8.H.5., Christchurch Boys’ High School; Xav., Xavier College; Llnw, Linwood High School; Line.. Lincoln High School; Dar., Darfield High School; Meth., Methven High School; Ger., Geraldine High School; Culv.. Culverden High School; 5.8.H.5., Shirley Boys’ High School; St A., St Andrew’s College: St 8., St Bede's College; Ara.. Aranui High School; Rang., Rangiora High School.

OPEN Boys' Singles Semi-final.-rG. Calvert (Burn.) beat R. McGimpsey (Cash.), 6-4, 6-1. Final.—a. Tuck (Cash.) beat Calvert, 6-0, 6-0. Girls' Singles Final.—R. Legge (Avon.) beat R. Dillon (St M.), 6-1, 6-3. Boys' Doubles Final.—R. Tuck (Cash.) and R. McGimpsey (Cash.) beat G. Calvert (Burn.) and S. McEwan (Burn.), 7-5, 6-4. Girls’ Doubles Final.—R. Legge (Avon.) and R. Dillon (St M.) beat G. Hampton (Avon.) and G. Iredale (St M.), 6-1, 6-1. Mixed Doubles First Round.—R. Dillon (St B.) and Miss R. Dillon (St M.) beat R. McGimpsey (Cash.) and Miss A. Fawdray (Ger.), 6-1, 6-1. Quarter-final.—R. Tuck (Cash.) and Miss G. Iredale (St M.) beat Dillon and Miss Dillon, 9-7, 6-1. Semi-finals.—T. Mooney (St B.) and Miss R. Legge (Avon.) beat P. Mathewson (C.8.H.5.) and Miss B. Black (R.R.), 6-0, 6-0; Tuck and Miss Iredale beat G. Calvert (Burn.) and Miss B. Nurse (Mair.), 6-0, 6-3. UNDER Ift Girls' Singles Semi-finals.—P. Bamford (St M.) beat R. Smith (Cott.), 6-4, 6- S. Moore (Cash.) beat K. Davey (Cott.), 6-2, 6-3. Boys' Doubles Semi-finals.—K. Lewis (Hill.) and P. Mathewson (C.8.H.5.) beat R. Versteeg (Cash.) and G. O’Malley (Xav.), 6-3, 7-5; T. Mooney (St B.) and P. Gilmour (St B.) beat P. Mitchell (C.8.H.5.) and R. Dillon (St B.), 7- 7-5. Final.—Lewis ana Mathewson beat Mooney and Gilmour, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2. Girls' Doubles Quarter-finals.—E. Coe (R.R.) and G. Skilling (R.R.) beat L. Begg (Darf.) and J, Farrant iparf.l, 6-4. 6-0; M. Brosnahan (S.H.) and S. Moore (Cash.), beat R. Tobeck (Line.) and E. Dunne (St M), 6-1, 6-2; C. O'Rourke (Cott.) and P. Bamford (St M.) beat J. Brook (S.H.) and A. Watson (S.H.), 6-3, 6-0. Semi-finals.—A. Meates (S.H.) and R. Smith (Cott.) beat Coe and Skilling, 7-9. 6-3, 6-2; Brosnahan and Moore beat O'Rourke and Bamford, 6-3, 6-2. Mixed Doubles Second Round.—P. Gilmour (St »•) and Miss M. Brosnahan (S.H.) beat N. Blackburn (Linw.) and Miss G. Skilling (R.R.), 6-4, 6-5. Quarter-finals.—P. Mathewson (C.8.H.5.) and Miss S. Moore (Cash.) beat N. Bishop (Burn.) and Miss E. Coe (R.R.), 6-2. 6-5: T. Mooney (St B.) and Miss P. Smitheram (Avon.) beat R. Dillon (St B.) and Miss C. O’Rourke (Cott.), 6-4, 6-L K Lewis (Hill.) and Miss P. Bamford (St M.) beat Gilmour and Miss Brosnahan, 6-4. 6-2: P Mitchell (C.8.H.5.) and Miss A. Meates (S.H.) beat R. Gilmour (St A.) and Miss L. Begg (Darf.), 6-3, 6-4. Semi-finals.—Lewis and Miss Bamford beat Mitchell and Miss Meates. 2-6. 6-0. 6-3; Mathewsori and Miss Moore beat Mooney and Miss Smitheram '6-2, 0-6, 6-3. THIRD FORM Boys' Singles Final.—R. Dillon (St B.) beat P. Gilmour (St B.), 6-3, 8-6. Girls' Singles Semi-final.—E. Meates (S.H.) beat B. Macdonald (Avon.), 7-5, 6-2. Final.—P. Smitheram (Avon.) beat Meates, 6-0, 6-1. Boys' Doubles Final.—N. Blackburn (Linw ) and R. Gilmour (St A.) beat J. Woods (Rang.) and B. Cattley (Rang.), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Girls' Doubles Semi-finals.—P. Smitheram (Avon.) and B. Macdonald (Avon.) beat S. Gibson (St Marg.) and H. Somers (St Marg.), 6-3, 6-2; J. Weakley (St SI.) and J. Browne (St M.) beat E. Meates (S.H.) and P. Marks (C.G.H.S.). 5-6, 6-3, 11-9. Final.—Smitheram and Macdonald beat Weakley and Browne, 6-0, 6-2. PLATE FINALS Open Girls.—G. Johnston (R.R.) beat J. Stevenson (R.R.), 6-0, 2-6, 6-1. Under IS Bovs,—B. Clark (Rang.) beat G. McKenzie (Rang.), 6-3, 6-4. Under 16 Girls.—J. Phillips (C.G.H.S.) beat E. Dunne (St M.). 6-1. 7-5. Third Form Boys.—R. Gilmour (St A.) beat R. Morrison (Line.), 6-2, 6-3. Third Form Girls.—E. O'Connor (St M.) beat C. Porter (St M.), 6-1. 6-1.