Dillon steps down from top side

Press, 12 September 1986, Page 12

Dillon steps down from top side

Noel Dillon, the man who played the vital role in Pavroc Edgeware’s stunning victory in the grand final of the Bank of New Zealand senior men’s tennis championship last summer, will not be wielding his racket in defence of the prestigious title this season.

An Edgeware stalwart in most years since his senior debut in 1969, Dillon will be busying himself in the coming months attending to his tasks as a Canterbury selector and a member of his club’s controlling committee.

But his name will long be remembered in the club for his gritty singles win in the championship final against Diadora Fendalton at Wilding Park early this year.

Fendalton and Edgeware, who promise to be the leading contenders for the title again this season, were finely matched in 1985-86. In the first round competition Edgeware won by one set on a count-back after rubbers were tied at 3-3. Fendalton reversed this result in the second round, but in the final Dillon’s three-set success over Marty Searle gave Edgeware the luxury of a 4-2 victory.

Dillon’s was the key result, for in the earlier contest he had lost to Searle in straight sets. Playing down the order at No. 3 or No. 4, Dillon proved a tough opponent for optimistic opponents with his well-grooved game and the seeming nonchalance with which he produced passing shots down the sidelines.

His playing record speaks for itself. Last summer he brought up a century of singles appearances for Edgeware, and he finished with 63 wins and 41 losses in his 104 matches. His doubles record with various partners was probably even better, for he was among the most adaptable of senior players. But his absence will not rob Edgeware of favouritism for the men’s title in the coming months. In the leading position the team will again have Stephen Harley, clearly the top player in Canterbury and still showing signs of the form which took him into the Davis Cup squad six years ago. Harley retained his provincial closed title last season and reached the semi-finals of the Canterbury Open, an event he has claimed in the past. The ebullient Michael Mooney will once more give Edgeware a competitive and generally successful No. 2, and there is

speculation that his brother, Terry, might return to his former club. He would be hard to upset in the lower order, for his form for Cashmere in the last two seasons was really solid.

The able left-hander, Geoff Smith, is keen to resume his promising career, and a possibility exists that Simon Jamieson could be back from overseas before the competition winds up. So Edgeware, minus Dillon, will still present a bold front.

Fendalton will be weakened by the departure of its strapping left-handed No. 1, Phillip Seeman, but with Alan Adair back in the ranks it will mount a strong challenge. Alistair Chapman performed so heroically last season that he won his way back into the Wilding Shield squad, and his doubles combination with Searle usually gives Fendalton a 1-0

lead. The former United player, Gary Lawson, has compiled a list of meritorious wins in the senior grade, and further development from this multi-talented sportsman is expected. The runner-up to Edgeware in the first round competition last season, Shirley, is expected to field its powerful Canter-

bury representatives, Brett Hibbert and Peter Hampton, once more, with support from the trusty Bruce Clark and David Sandford. Hibbert’s clashes with Harley continue to constitute the showcase of Canterbury tennis.

Rhett Mason, a reliable and efficient member of Canterbury sides for most of the last eight seasons, will again prove vital to Blackwell Elmwood’s chances in the competition, which begins on October 11. The format will follow last season’s pattern.

Sandwiched in between rounds of the competition will be the Town-County matches, advanced from the customary late date to November 8, and the Smiths City Market tennis classic at Show Week-end. The Skellerup Canterbury Open will be played between January 8 and 12. Junior activity is set to

reach a high pitch, with an early indication of prospects being provided by the Serve N.Z. Canterbury junior hardcourt tournament at Labour Day week-end. The Guthreys Travel primary schools’ championship will be held at Show Week-end, and the usually well supported Coca-Cola Canterbury junior and age titles will be contested from December 27 to 31. Wilding Park will be the. scene of the BP national 16 years championships from January 2 to 7, and the Coca-Cola Easter tournament in April will wind up the season. With the growing popularity of veterans’ tennis, vigorous junior competition, and a reasonably high standard among the seniors, the 1986-87 season in Canterbury should be one to savour.