A first for Gisborne rep team

CHALLENGE WINNERS: Gisborne tennis representatives have won the Wilson Garland Challenge for the first time. Team members are, back (from left): Te Aorangi Harrington, Patsy Royal, Carolyn Baty, Carol Thorpe, Trish Mackey, Nick Shand and Masatomo Takahashi. Front: Andrew Powell and Hamish Arthur. Picture supplied

Gisborne's senior tennis representative players have won the Wilson Garland Challenge for the first time in the event's 69-year history.

The team travelled to Hawke's Bay last weekend to compete in the event and to defend the Garland Shield (for men) after winning it for the first time in 2020.

Gisborne lost the Garland Shield but for the first time won the overall challenge.

It was neck and neck between Gisborne and Napier all weekend, with a countback required after both teams finished with 15 wins.

After two days of tennis, one game separated the two regions — Gisborne had won 181 games and Napier, 180.

On Saturday, Gisborne played Napier in cool conditions. Both men's matches were decided in tiebreakers, Gisborne winning both.

The pair of Te Aorangi Harrington and Andrew Powell defended six match points before winning their tiebreaker 11-9.

Napier then evened the score with two wins in the women's doubles, but Gisborne's mixed doubles fired right back, winning three of the four matches to give the team a 5-3 lead.

The weather improved through the afternoon as Gisborne faced Hastings/Havelock North.

Gisborne had a strong start, comfortably winning both men's matches. Nick Shand and Hamish Arthur were particularly impressive in a 9-3 victory.

Gisborne also had a win in one of the women's matches — a dominant performance by Carol Thorpe and Trish Mackey.

Gisborne won three out of four mixed-doubles matches, including a nail-biter won by Harrington and Thorpe in a tiebreaker.

Going into Sunday, the Gisborne men needed one match against Central Hawke's Bay to retain the Garland Shield, and the whole team knew it would be close for overall honours.

Both men's doubles matches were close and hard-fought, but the Central Hawke's Bay combinations won both 9-7.

The Gisborne women showed their strength with dominant performances against Central Hawke's Bay.

Carolyn Baty and Patsy Royal dug deep to win their game 9-7.

The mixed games were then shared, two wins each, for the fixture to be drawn 4-4.

Napier retained the Wilson Shield (for women) with five wins. Gisborne women finished second with three wins.

The Central Hawke's Bay men won the Garland Shield with five wins. Gisborne — unsuccessful in their defence — had to settle for second place with four wins from the weekend.

Overall, after the men's and women's results were combined, both Napier and Gisborne finished the weekend with 15 wins, and a countback was required on games won. Gisborne got the better of this, winning by a one-game margin.