Tennis: Janet Agnew Carnival hailed as classic

Raewyn Heywood and Shelley Yeates made the final of the Womens Division One competition at the Janet Agnew Carnival Doubles Tournament. Photo / John Stone

Thomas Neale Park was bathed in sunlight as the Janet Agnew Carnival Doubles Tournament provided Kamo with great tennis action.

With competitors from around Northland and travelling in from Auckland and Tauranga, the weather was an added bonus for those looking for a weekend of fun and competitive tennis.

Tournament namesake Janet Agnew said the 31st edition of the carnival was a rousing success.

"It's been fantastic. Even though we didn't have quite as many entries as last time, the quality of the action has improved again," she said.

"There was such a variety of ages of the players, ranging from 12 to 79, which was great to see.

"The weather is a lot better than last year too so it's been great for the players."

Third seeds Terry Mitchell and Jono Ussher took out the men's division one title, defeating the two top seeds on the way.

They beat Kyle Apaapa and David Cavaye 6-2 6-4 in the first round, before coming up against top seeds Mike Barry and Mike Clapshaw.

In what was comfortably their toughest match, Mitchell and Ussher were forced into tiebreaks in each of the two sets to grind out a 7-6 (3) 7-6 (3) victory over the favourites.

Mitchell and Ussher then comfortably accounted for the second seeds Robbo Robertson and Russell Smiler 6-2 6-0.

In the women's division one competition, the tournament essentially went as the seeds dictated, with top-ranked Craigie McCullough and Paula Jane Stubbing taking out the tournament.

The pairing defeated Jill Gordon and Margaret Harper 6-2 6-0 and Cheryl Baker and Ollie Smith 6-3 6-0 to set up a final with the number two seeds.

Raewyn Heywood and Shelley Yeates provided stiff opposition for the eventual champions, but found themselves a set down after McCullough and Stubbing cruised to a 6-3 set win.

The second set was a much tighter affair, with both pairings struggling to maintain the ascendancy.

The match headed to a tiebreak, but the top seeds showed their class to clinch the set and the title.

Agnew said the tournament was showing no signs of slowing down, even after 31 years.

"We'll definitely be back next year. The players are loving it and still coming along to play so we won't be stopping," she said.

"The sponsors have been fantastic so there's always great prizes to play for so that will help keep bringing players along."