Tennis guile displayed

Press, 31 October 1977, Page 24

Tennis guile displayed

The experience and determination that has helped Elmwood to five successive championships in the senior men’s tennis competition, was displayed to its fullest in the season's first round on Saturday.

Elmwood trailed Avonside 0-2 after the doubles matches, but with typical guile the champions fought back in the singles and won all lour matches. Elmwood can no longer lay claim to the title “Golden Oldies.” The name was coined last vear when the team won the championship with an average age of 34. But tins year they have a 16-year-old in their midst. Rett Mason, one of Canterbury’s top juniors made an auspicious start to senior tennis. He beat Barry Knight in the first singles 6-3. 6-0. This was a vital game, as it was expected Knight would have too much experience lor his younger opponent. Mason only took his place in the team during the week. He beat the regular No. 4 of last year, Lew Elliott, after a challenge. It was quite a feather in Mason’s cap. Elliott lost only two of his 14 singles last season, and was on hand on Saturday to congratulate Mason after his singles success. Until early in the week the United club thought it had Mason in its fold, but after winning his place in the Elmwood side, opted to stay with that club.

There was one minor upset on Saturday. The third-placed team last season. United, was convincingly beaten by North Linwood 4-2. In other games, Edgeware made a clean sweep against Sumner to take the first round points lead and Shirley dropped only one match against Woolston. In tile individual matches there was only one upset result. Ralph Webster gave United a good start in their singles when he beat Stephen Harley, but his fine effort was in vain.

Avonside squandered an excellent chance to beat the champions, largely because of overconfidence after its doubles successes. It is almost unheard of for Elmwood to be down two matches after the doubles. In the first match Knight and David Shapcott took advantage oi the inexperienced combination ot Gary Harris and Mason and won with ease, 6-3, 6-3. There was some comfort for Elmwood however. By the end of the match Harris and Mason were striking up a good understanding which should be valuable to Elmwood in future rounds. Bill Thom and Warren Edgecumbe took the first set against Alan Croad and Martin Searle, but surprisingly the Avonside pair won the next two sets. Searle, an import from Otago, was playing Ills first match for Avonside, and it was a considerable feat for he and Croad to beat the established Elmwood pair. Mason gave Elmwood some hope after his easy singles victory. He is of a more quiet nature than some of the Canterbury juniors of recent years, and that will be a valuable asset in senior tennis. He did not try and beat Knight with power, but opted instead to keep returning the ball and forcing errors. He demoralised Knight in the first set and romped through the second. Searle made errors lie should not have in vital stages of his two sets against Harris. Often he tried to pass Harris with shots that were not on, and found himself on the defensive. Avonside looked to have a good chance of levelling the game when Croad met Edgecumbe. Croad played aggressive, power tennis to take the first set 6-2. Unfortunately however, he began to attempt unnecessarily difficult shots and quickly found himself down 2-4 in the second set against Edgecumbe who had found his touch. Croad fought back to 4-all but then dropped his serve again. He fought hard to break Edgecumbe’s serve to level at 5-all, but promptly dropped service again and Edgecumbe held serve to take the set. Croad. who had missed several easy volleys and smashes in the tense second set, had no fight in the third and failed to win a game.

bhapcott started well against Thom and was up 4-2 in the first set. but allowed Thom to fight back to 4-4. The set eventually went to a tie breaker, and

at 6-4 Shapcott lost a vital point. A sene which appeared to bring up the chalk and beat Thom was ruled a fault. Shapcott double-faulted, and Thom went on to win the set.

Shapcott could not settle after this setback, and with Thom placing the ball superbly, managed to take onlv one game in the second set.

Webster and Harley produced a fine array of shots in a long two-setter. Throughout both players probed each others weaknesses but in the end it was simple errors by an edgey Harley that caused him to drop his serve.

After tl-e first set went to a tie breaker, Jim Marton suddenly found top gear against Lindsav Wahon and took the second set in a center. Barry Finch overcame a tentative mood, which cost hm the first set against John Tavlor, for a vital win. while Mike Purcell lost to an energetic Stephen Chalmers.

North Linwood had a good start, winning both doubles against United, but they were not taken without a struggle in both instances.

Douglas Chapman was the only Woolston player to have a success against the strong Shirley team, in the third singles match he played percentage tennis to beat Ron Adams.

Brett Hibbert did not allow Colin Hunt into their singles match, Hunt only taking one game, iim David Hunt took the second set off Peter Hampton when the latter relaxed a little after tak.ng the first set with ease.

Although Edgeware made a clean sweep against Sumner it certainly was not all one-way traffic. Nee' Dillon an! Michael O’Flaherty had to fight back strongly to win their doubles against Geoff Hayes and David Blackwell, and the Mooney brothers were extended bv Grantley Judge and Ryan McCutcheon in the other doubles. McCutcheon and Terry Mooney fought a fierce battle in their singles. It was the last match and McCutcheon was determined to salvage one match for Sumner. He lost the first set quickly but chased everything in the second and won it. but could not sustain the effort in the third.

Points are:— Edgeware 12. Shirley 11, Elmwood and North Linwood 10, United and Avonside 2, Woolston 1, Sumner 0. Results were:— Elmwood 4, Avonside 2 W. Thom beat D. Shapcott, 7-6. 6-1; W. Edgecumbe beat A. Croad. 2-6. 7-5, 6-0; G. Harris beat M. Searle. 6-4. 6-4; R. Mason beat B. Knight. 6-3, 6-0. Thom and Edgecumbe lest io Croad and Searle. 6-4, 3-6, 4-6; Harris and Mason lost to Knight and Shapcott, 3-6, 3-6. North Linwood 4, United 2 S. Harley lost to R. Webster, 5- 5-7: J. Martin beat L. Walton. 7-6, 6-2; B. Finch beat J. Taylor, 3-6, 6-4. 6-3; M. Purcell lost to S. Chalmers, 1-6. 3-6. Harley and Martin beat Webster and Taylor. 7-5. 7-6: Finch and Purcell beat Walton and Chalmers. 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. Edgeware 6, Sumner 0 M. Mooney beat C. G. Judge, 6- 7-5; T. Mooney beat R. McCutcheon. 6-2. 4-6, 6-2; N. Dillon beat C. Hayes. 6-1, 6-4; M. O’Flaherty beat D. Blackwell, 7-5, 6-3. T. Mooney and M. Mooney beat Judge and McCutcheon. 7-5. 6-4; Dillon and O’Flaherty beat Hayes and Blackwell. 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Shirley 5, Woolston 1 P. Hampton beat D. Hunt. 6-2. 4-6, 6-2: B. Hibbert beat C. Hunt, 6-0, 6-1; R. Adams lost to D. Chapman. 3-6. 4-6; D Howarth beat S. Chalmers. 6-7. 7-6. 6-0. Hampton and Hibbert beat C. Hunt and Chapman, 6-4. 7-5; Adams and Howarth beat D. Hunt and Chalmers, 7-5. 6-7, 6-4. First mixed A grade Shirley 13, North Linwood 3l Cashmere 14, Sumner 2; Elmwood 12, Fendalton 4.