Woolston, Elmwood win competitions

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 11

Woolston, Elmwood win competitions

As expected, Woolston and Elmwood won the men’s and women’s supplementary senior tennis competitions when play-offs in each grade were held at Wilding Park on Saturday.

Both led comfortably before the last round in the draw a week previously when both lost but held slight leads in spite of that However, the leads did not give them the required six-point margins and this necessitated play-offs. Aldridge beck When Woolston lost to Fendalton in the last round of the senior men’s competition it was without its top player, B. J. Aldridge. He was back in the side on Saturday with the result that Woolston won by 4 matches to 2.

Similarly, in the senior women’s grade, Elmwood was without Miss R. Legge, its top player, when it lost to United, which left Beckenham which had a bye, closer than six points. Miss Legge, who like Aldridge, had been playing in the representative fixture with Wellington, again led Elmwood on Saturday and the side won comfortably by 5 matches to L Elmwood, especially has been a highly successful club this season because in addition to winning this women’s competition it has won the senior men’s championship and the senior reserve grade. In the top men’s singles, Aldridge had a tense match with the tali top man for Fendalton, R. Webster. They certainly met in a strongly competitive spirit because their remarks to one another during the doubles were carried into the singles. C. Hunt, another member of the Woolston side, who was umpiring, gave up the position in favour of a neutral man. the Wilding Park groundsman, Mr R. Avery and he controlled matters firmly from then.

In spite of this feeling, there was still some good tennis and Aldridge bad his lead of 7-3 whittled back to 7-5, as the lanky Webster recovered determinedly. At the same time. Webster was not happy with a loosely strung racket in which the

strings kept shifting. He felt he could not get the full power into his shots. Aldridge was the steadier. He covered the court as well as he usually does and he placed the ball to the corners. Woolston won the second singles also when D. Howarth beat the erratic M. Morrison, but it lost the third when CHunt lost to W. Smith. Hunt, serving with considerable power played much better in doubles than he did in singles. In the women’s contest, Elmwood lost only the one match when Miss S. Field was beaten by Miss S. Moore (Beckenham). 9-3. Miss Field, who had not had a great deal of competitive tennis this season because of injury was not nearly at her best form against a younger opponent Another young Beckenham player. Miss A. Meates, who has had a good season against more experienced players, did excellently to take five games from Miss Legge. Results:— MEN Woolston v. Fendalton Singles.—B. J. Aldridge beat R. Webster, 9-5; D. Howarth beat M. Morrison, 9-3; C. Hunt lost to W. Smith, 5-9. Doubles—Aldridge and Howarth beat Webster and Morrison, 9-3; Aldridge and Hunt beat Webster and Smith, 9-5; Howarth and Hunt lost to Smith and Morrison, 2-9. Woolston won by 4 matches to 2. WOMEN Elmwood v. Beckenham Singles—Miss R. Legge beat Miss A. Meates, 9-5; Miss S. Field lost to Miss S. Moore 3-9; Miss A. Lawrence beat Miss P. James, 9-3. Doubles.—Misses Legge and Field beat Misses S. Moore and A. Meates, 9-8; Misses Legge and Lawrence beat Misses Meates and James, 9-0; Misses Field and Lawrence beat Misses Moore and James, 9-5.

Elmwood won by 5 matches to 1.