Barrington in command

Press, 25 October 1982, Page 15

Barrington in command

A sparkling return to Wilding Park by the former Canterbury and New Zealand

champion. Christine Newton, was insufficient to save Avonside from defeat in the rain-ruined opening of the B.N.Z. women's senior tennis competition on Saturday. Back with Avonside after a break of four years. Miss Newton took .only 45min to rout another former national champion. Robyn Hunt, in the top singles match against Barrington. The effort contributed to Miss Newton's winning of the • Player of the Day" award, but failed to stop Barrington from moving into an unbeatable position by the time the rain started to fall. The defending champion. United, was ahead in two singles after sharing the doubles with Shirley, and Fendalton and Elmwood were deadlocked at two rubbers apiece when play came to a sudden halt.

Last season Barrington won the first round competition. and with the same side back on the courts it looks capable of repeating the feat. Mrs Hunt and Debbie Hills formed a convincing top doubles combination, beating Miss Newton and Wendy Bryan in straight sets. Vicki Ratana and Delia O'Malley, the second Barrington pairing. struck tough opposition in the mother and daughter combination of Carol and Rhonda Pearce, but prevailed on the strength of their consistent driving.

Misses Hills and O'Malley put Barrington into a winning position by claiming singles victories. Miss O’Malley looked most proficient in disposing of Rhonda Pearce with the loss of only two games, and Miss Hills’s provincial status must have been improved by her win over Miss Bryan.

Troubled by a bruised heel, Mrs Hunt was never in contention as a singles winner. Miss Newton produced a dazzling array of ground strokes, volleys and smashes in winning 11 of the first 12

games. Mrs Hunt came back into the match near the end, but there was never any doubt

that Miss Newton would win in a canter.

The scene at Wilding Park resembled the semi-finals of the New Zealand women’s

championship, for the other top contest of the afternoon involved two nationally ranked players. Sally Chapman (Shirley) and Shirley

Haig (United). Unlike the Newton-Hunt contest, this match had lasted 80min before it was interrupted by rain, with Mrs Haig leading, 3-1, in the third set. Both players are remarkably accurate from the baseline, and there were many long and absorbing rallies in the first set before Mrs Haig’s unflagging retrieving carried the day. In the second set. Miss’ Chapman introduced more variety to

her game, and by coming to the net more often, she soon established supremacy.

The United captain fought back with spirit in the third set. and she was dictating the style of play before the interruption. On the adjacent court. Phillippa Lewthwaite had gained the lead against a determined opponent in Leigh Johnson, who was making her senior debut. Earlier. Miss Lewthwaite and her sister. Lynette O’Dell, had had to call on all their wiles to oust Miss Johnson and Julie Reid in a marathon three-set encounter. Making her first appearance for her new club, Miss Chapman joined forces with Julianne Taylor for an important top doubles win over Mrs Haig and Jane Howe. The Shirley pair clinched success in the second set tiebreaker. Elmwood and Fendalton seemed headed for a countback decision when the rain

stopped play. Matches stood at two-all. with the likelihood of finishing at three-all on the resumption. Carolyn Oakley looked in impressive form for Elmwood. After a few early errors she settled, her firm stroke play and shrewd placements playing a big part in Elmwood's win in a protracted top doubles. Ably assisted by the lefthanded Lorelei Mason, Miss Oakley resisted the smooth combination of Sally Hughey and Lyn Cowie in a match which hung in the balance

for more than 2Vz hours. A new combination of Stephanie Field and the promising Jillian Lavender put Elmwood two-up by winning the second "dubles match, but Fendalton had levelled the scores by the time play stopped. ' Miss Hughey was too experienced for Miss Lavender, and

Angela Brading eventually broke down Miss Field’s resistance with her doublehanded backhand battery to win in three sets. Scores were: Barrington 4, Avonside 1

R. R. Hunt lost to C. J. Newton. 0-6. 4-6; D. Hills beat W. Bryan. 6-4. 6-4; D. O’Malley beat R. Pearce. 6-0, 6-2.

Mrs Hunt and Miss Hills beat Misses Newton and Bryan. 6-2. 6-

3: Misses O’Malley and V. Ratana beat Mrs C. Pearce and Miss Pearce. 6-4, 6-4.

’ Fendalton 2, Elmwood 2 A. Brading beat S. Field. 6-2. 46. 6-0; S. Hughey beat J. Lavender. 6-4. 6-2. Misses Hughey and L. Cowie

lost to Misses C. Oakley and L. Mason. 6-7, 6-4. 3-6; Misses Brading and J. Pickering lost to Misses Field and Lavender, 4-6. 3-6. United 1, Shirley 1 S. E. Haig v. S. E. Chapman. 64. 1-6. 3-1 (unfinished); P. Lewthwaite v. L. Johnson, 6-3, 31 (unfinished). Mrs Haig and Miss J. Howe lost to Misses Chapman and J. Taylor. 4-6. 6-7; Miss Lewthwaite and Mrs L. O’Dell beat Miss Johnson and Mrs J. Reid, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.