Tennis: Rain fails to stop Janet Agnew Carnival Doubles

Kerikeri's Mike Clapshaw paired up with Kamo's Terry Mitchell to win the Men's Doubles A title at the Janet Agnew Carnival Doubles tournament. PHOTO/ANDREW JOHNSEN

Rain seemed to be the consistent theme across Northland sport over the weekend, however it failed to stop the Janet Agnew Carnival Doubles tournament.

The 32nd edition of the tournament ran once again at the Thomas Neale Family Memorial Park Tennis Centre and was a hotly contested weekend.

Number one seeds Mike Clapshaw (Kerikeri) and Terry Mitchell (Kamo) lived up to their pre-tournament billing to claim the Men's Doubles A division title.

Clapshaw and Mitchell were rarely troubled in their run to the title.

Their first win was a 6-2 6-1 result over Nigel James Lewin and Michael Walters before they beat Paul Appleby and Kaleb Stevens even more emphatically with a 6-1 6-0 result.

Their biggest challenge came against Keith Cocking and Merv Tane, the No2 seeds, in a all-Northland affair.

Clapshaw and Mitchell picked up the first set 6-2 before clinching the title with a 6-3 win in the second set.

In the Women's Doubles A division, seedings again proved right with Paul Jane Stubbing (Mission Bay) and Shelley Yeates (Springfield) winning the title after a three set thriller.

Stubbing and Yeates eased through their first two matches, accounting for the pairings of Frances Coutts and Alyce Kelly (6-3 6-1) and fourth seeds Raewyn Heywood and Judy Hill (6-3 6-2) in straight sets.

This set up a date with third seeds Leona Davis and Aliya Edwards to decide the title.

Stubbing and Yeates got off to a flier, winning the first set 6-1 and looking likely to win at a canter.

However, Davis and Edwards fought back to win the second set 7-5, leaving it to a tie breaker.

The class of Stubbing and Yeates came through in the decider, taking it out 10-3 to win the title.

All four competitions were won by the No1 seeds.

In the Men's Doubles B division, Springfield's Chris and Greg Miller were pushed to the brink on route to the title.

Their semifinal against Hayden Craven and Willie Rankin went to a tie breaker, which the Millers won 11-9.

It was an identical story in the final against No2 seeds Will Ian Flavell and Jordan Winiata, with the match again going to a tie breaker and the Millers again coming out 11-9 winners.

Craigie and Elma McCullough took out the Women's Doubles B division after ousting the No2 seeds Sacha Pou-Tito and Ivy Rakich in a tie breaker.

The McCulloughs won the first set 6-4 before Pou-Tito and Rakich clinched the second set 6-4.

In the end it was the McCullough pairing who held their nerve to win the tie breaker 10-3.