Tennis players face tough task

Press, 28 February 1980, Page 34

Tennis players face tough task

The path to a Wilding Shield success by the Canterbury men’s tennis team at Lower Hutt this week-end will not be strewn with rc-ses.

A low seeding of fourth among six teams will mean that Canterbury encounters its strongest rivals at the outset — and it needed time to break in its untried doubles combinations.

Canterbury captured the trophy last summer, but the absence of its three leading players, Brett Hibbert, Steve Harley, and Peter Hampton, will seriously affect its chances.

The team’s manager, Mr Jim Marlin, yesterday described the side as “reasonable,” but voiced his concern at the difficult draw. Canterbury will strike Auckland, seeded third, in the first round tomorrow morning, Northern Districts (second) in.the afternoon, and the topseeded Wellington team on

Saturday morning. ■ The Canterbury representatives Michael Mooney, Hugh Robinson, Ralph Webster and Rhett Mason do not have any history of doubles play with each other. Mr Martin intends to delay naming the pairings until he has a chance to study the opposi-> tion.

The Wellington side is believed to have gained the services of the national junior) champion. Kelly Evernden, which would account for its top seeding. Simon Norman, David Patterson, and James Dunphy would complete at strong combination. The Canterbury women's team of Christine Newton, Robyn Hunt, Sally Chapman, and Shirley Haig is warmly favoured to win the Nunneley Casket for the seventh, year in a row. It has been accorded top seeding, and will play its strongest rival, Northern Districts, in the final round on Sunday.