Tennis stalwart

Press, 31 October 1979, Page 26

Tennis stalwart

Tennis has a reputation for being a game suitable for people of all ages. Bill Thom has long provided an admirable example of an older man succeeding at senior level in , Christchurch, and last Saturday the Woolston club made the point even more forcibly by fielding an unusual doubles team in the B.N.Z. men’s competition at Wilding Park. One of the players was Alan Adair, a mere slip of a boy aged only 14. His partner was- Barry' Aldridge (above), a Woolston stalwart of many years’ standing and still showing good form at 40. Aldridge has not played regularly at any level of tennis for three years — “I just fill a gap when I’m needed,” he said modestly on Saturday. But Woolston is fortunate to have such a man to call on. In Saturday’s game against

Elmwood, Aldridge took great delight in beating his old rival, Thom, after being hopelessly behind at the half-way stage. A picture of fitness with his bronzed skin and zestful expression, Aldridge denies making any special efforts to keep in trim. “I just work hard — that’s all.” But he has had a busy life. When he was at his peak as Woolston’s top player in the 1960 s he was also a regular Canterbury hockey representative and played the trombone in the Skellerup Woolston and New Zealand bands. He gave hockey away in 1972 after 14 years at provincial level, but he still plays the trombone with gusto. His tennis, too, is pretty good — Bill Thom will support that contention.

Aldridge started his senior tennis career in the

1956-57 season, a year before Thom made his first , appearance, playing for I South Brighton. “I have always been a Woolston player, and 1 look back with particular pleasure at the years 1964-5-G when we won the senior championship for three seasons in a row. We had players such as Ray Neuman and Maurie Agar (now chairman of the C.L.T. junior association) in those days, asd the tennis was always enjoyable.” In his long and eventful career, Barry Aldridge has played more than 140 singles matches in the senior competition, and won about 80 of them. It is a fine record, and one likely to be enhanced whenever Woolston finds itself in the happy position of needing a substitute for the senior team.