Jason Young Tauranga-based tennis coach Jason Young is back from Noumea a winner - and with a considerably lighter wallet to boot.
Young, 40, was part a four-strong New Zealand men's team that won the inaugural Oceania championships.
The week-long tournament, at Noumea's Ouen-Toro tennis centre, featured a teams tournament followed by individual singles and doubles competition.
Young said the New Zealand team - former New Zealand Davis Cup player Adam Thompson, No 1-ranked 18s player Anton Bettink and Auckland-based coach Troy Turnbull - were treated like stars.
"We had ballboys, umpires and linesman for every game, a big electronic scoreboard and drinks on court - real pro stuff - although I got a bit of a shock when we went out for a few beers and Heinekens were $20 a pop.
"I offered to go and buy the boys the first round but we ended up having a fairly quiet night with an $80 hole in my wallet!"
New Zealand downed Samoa 3-0 first-up (two singles and one doubles), with Young teaming with Thompson in the doubles, and edged Tahiti 2-1 to win their group and make the final, with Young and Bettink losing the doubles 7-6 7-6.
In the final against Australia, Turnbull and Young plotted tactics courtside as Thompson and Bettink played the lot, with Bettink losing the No 2 singles, Thompson squaring the tie and the pair combining to take it in the doubles to give the Kiwi team gold.
In the individual competition Young lost to the eventual singles champion from Noumea 6-0 6-3, while he and Turnbull fought back from 7-6 5-0 down in the doubles to win a 10-8 super tiebreaker before getting eliminated in the second round.
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