Tennis
Martinborough and Opaki will meet in the final of the Wairarapa Tennis Association's regional one championship at the Masterton Tennis Centre next weekend.
They made their way to the competition decider by very different routes in their semifinals on Saturday, Martinborough edging out Masterton 5-4 and Opaki comfortably defeating Gladstone 7-2.
The Martinborough v Masterton encounter was a thriller with the hot temperatures testing the physical and mental capabilities of the players.
In the end it was their superiority in the women's section which was the main catalyst for the Martinborough victory.
Both Rhona Lovell and Libby Paterson won their singles and they also combined for a doubles success. Paterson did not have everything her own way in her singles with Zoe Paris, however, with the Masterton youngster fighting bravely to take the battle to three sets, Paterson winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.
The men's singles were squared at 2-2 with the talking point being the 7-6, 7-6 victory secured by Matt Nicholson over the more favoured Luke Atkinson. Campbell Venning also won for Martinborough while Chad Parsons and Matt Bunny kept Masterton in business.
Both men's doubles matches went to Masterton in straight sets.
Results (Martinborough names first)
Men's singles: Matt Nicholson beat Luke Atkinson 7-6, 7-6; Andy Darling lost to Chad Parsons 1-6, 2-6; Bruce Lovell lost to Matt Bunny 1-6, 1-6; Campbell Venning beat Duncan Oakley 7-6, 6-4.
Women's singles: Rhona Lovell beat Georgia Atkinson 6-1, 6-1; Libby Paterson beat Zoe Paris 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.
Men's doubles: Nicholson and Venning lost to Atkinson and Bunny 1-6, 3-6; Darling and Lovell lost to Parsons and Oakley 6-1, 6-1.
Women's doubles: Lovell and Paterson beat Atkinson and Paris 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.
The scoresheet from the Opaki v Gladstone match was not available for publication at the time of going to press.
Playing off in the regional two competition grand final next Saturday will be Opaki 1 and Gladstone after they won their semifinals, Opaki 1 by 5-3 over Masterton and Gladstone by 8-0 over Opaki 2.
Results
Opaki 1 v Masterton (Opaki names first)
Singles: Mike King lost to Peter Hampson 4-6, 6-1, 6-7; Adam Parker beat Colin Gillett 6-4, 1-6, 7-6; Ben Wilkinson beat Bruce Cameron 6-3, 6-4; Jonty Tatham beat Noel Fussell 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles: King and Parker lost to Hampson and Gillett 4-9; Wilkinson and Tatham beat Cameron and Fussell 9-3, King and Wilkinson lost to Hampson and Cameron 7-9, Parker and Tatham beat Gillett and Fussell 9-2.
Gladstone v Opaki 2 (Gladstone names first)
Singles: David Blackwood beat Adam Wyeth 6-1, 6-0; Scott Day beat Ben Renton 3-6, 6-2, 7-6; Sam Kyle beat Sam Wilkinson 6-1, 6-1; Lachie Preston beat Liam Kerr 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles: Blackwood and Day beat Wyeth and Renton 9-5, Kyle and Preston beat Wilkinson and Kerr 9-4, Blackwood and Kyle beat Wyeth and Wilkinson 9-0, Day and Preston beat Renton and Kerr 9-2.
