McKinnel, Pearce weathered well

Press, 3 February 1982, Page 20

McKinnel, Pearce weathered well

By

ALEX McMILLAN

An exhausting but highly rewarding three days of tennis were played by the veteran Avonside pair, Dianna McKinnel and Carol Rearce, last week-end. Instrumental in Avonside’s crushing victory over Cashmere in the B.N.Z. senior inter-club competition on Saturday, McKinnel and Pearce teamed up to capture the woman’s 38-45 years title at the United club’s seventh annual veteran doubles tournament. Held in fine weather at Hagley Park, the tournament ran from Friday through to Sunday. Both now at an age where most would be content to concentrate on veteran tournaments alone, the pair are still highly regarded in the senior competition in Christchurch, especially as a doubles combination. In the final of their group they came up against the talented pairing of Stephanie Field and Pat Duckmanton. But the benefit of playing in the senior competition was clearly evident as McKinnel and Pearce swept to a straight sets victory. In the women’s 46 years and over age group, Jean Bunt and Lyn Fitzgerald were too strong for the Cashmere pair, Greba Brydges-Jones and Pat Cosgriff.

Bunt will be remembered by many tennis followers as a former national women’s singles champion, and one of the top woman players in Canterbury during the 19505. The men’s 40 years and over final was taken, as

expected, by Bill Thom and Grantley Judge, who completely outplayed Jake Reader and Tom Tyler. • Thom is another veteran who still holds his own at senior inter-club level in Christchurch, and he and Judge also hold the Canterbury young veterans’ title. George Finney and Jack Baddeley were required to play a third set before finally downing Ross Hawker and John Betteridge in the men’s 50 years and over final. Finney and Baddeley are both now well over 60, and their ages, in fact, total an astonishing 132 years. The mixed doubles, where the players were required to have a combined age of not less than 85 years, were taken by Pat Duckmanton and Maurice Agar in two tiebreaker sets from Kathy Hargreaves and Tom Tyler. As the final score of 7-6, 7-6 would suggest, it was a hardfought battle, but the good understanding between Agar and Duckmanton told when the pressure was on. The match, which finished at 8 p.m. on Sunday, was a fitting climax to the tournament, which, as has been the case for the past six years, was a great success, attracting a record 136 entries. Games were played seriously but in a friendly, sportsmanlike manner, with very few disputed calls. It was reassuring to see that tennis tournaments can still be played without violent verbal outbursts being regarded as normal behaviour when a shot is missed.