Wellington player wins schools’ title

Press, 7 December 1981, Page 26

Wellington player wins schools’ title

A New Zealand junior representative. Robert Kerr, led Wellington College to a cliff-hanging 6-5 win over Christchurch’s Cashmere High School in the final of the national secondary schools’ table tennis tournament in Christchurch on Saturday. Wellington won the title in spite of stiff resistance from Cashmere’s Michael Prisk. the Canterbury open champion, who won all his three singles and featured in a winning doubles partnership. Prisk was also at the helm of the Cashmere side which was beaten in last year's final by Auckland Grammar. The competition, at the Selwyn Street hall, matched the threeman teams which won the South and North Island elimination tournaments earlier this year. The Wellington side produced

a more balanced team effort which saw Kerr, aged 15, and Craig Richardson, aged 14. each win two singles, while teammate Paul Wood chimed in with a singles win and a successful doubles match with Kerr. Although, he was a little outclassed by Prisk. Richardson, a semi-final'ist in the under-14 singles at the national championships in August, lifted his game under pressure to beat Cashmere’s Nigel Maynard when the match tallies were tied at 55. The highlight of the singles matches was a hard-hitting clash between Kerr and Prisk which Prisk won 21-18. 24-22. Kerr matched Prisk almost point for point in the first game but after some consistent loop driving Prisk opened up a 17-14

lead and was never headed. Kerr trailed 17-19 in the second game but tightened up his approach and scrambled back to within a point of taking the second set at 20-19. But Prisk steadied and rallied to take the match with two well-timed forehand drives. Results (Wellington names first): Singles.-Kerr beat Maynard. 21- 21-10; lost to Prisk," 18-21, 22- beat Andrew Moen, 16-21, 21-9. 21-12. Richardson lost to Prisk. 9-21. 12-21; beat Moen. 2113. 21-9; beat Maynard. 21-12, 2115. Wood beat Moen, 21-12. 21-7; lost to Maynard, 21-15, 19-21, 1521, lost to’Prisk, 18-21, 17-21. Doubles: Kerr and Richardson lost to Prisk and Maynard, 14-21, 20-22; Kerr and Wood beat Moen and Prisk. 21-17. 21-12.