Hawke's Bay Lawn's Marie Karl plays a forehand smash during the weekend's play at her club. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke's Bay's multiple national tennis champion and former New Zealand veterans' representative, Kay Glenny, has had the word from her surgeon.
"It's time for me to stop playing because my arthritic shoulder needs to be dealt to. So this is my swansong and I want to go out in the
best possible way," Greendale's Glenny said after her first match at the New Zealand Veterans Championships which began in Napier on Saturday and continues until Wednesday.
Playing in the 70-plus singles Glenny proved she still has the necessary fighting qualities which were a feature of her play when she was in her prime three decades ago. She was 5-2 down in the first set of her match against Tauranga's Dyanne Piddock when she fought back to record a 7-6, 6-2 win.
Playing with her long-time partner, lower Northland's Kaye Jackson, Glenny has reached today's final in her age group. They will take on Gisborne's Bev Evans and lower Northland's Gloria Wilmott.
"I could have played with Dave in the mixed doubles too but I thought that might be too much for the shoulder so I passed Kaye [Jackson] on to him," Glenny said referring to Western Bay of Plenty's 70-plus starter Dave Hawkes who hopes to travel home with his 40th national title.
