Tennis: Premiers make it two from two

Rotorua team members (from left) Shaun Tamai, Jesse Galvin-Dawson, Ryan Beamish, Lionel Rogers, Nick Beamish and James Wilce. Photo / File

In a match for the ages, Rotorua has defeated Tauranga Lawn Tennis Club to keep their perfect start to the season alive.

Despite looming rain clouds over Tauranga on Saturday, the Rotorua men's premier tennis team hit the road to play the Tauranga Lawn Tennis Club men's team. Rotorua defeated Tauranga 4-2 across the singles and doubles matches, during an intense encounter.

It marks the second win in a row to start the season for the Rotorua men's team, who defeated Thames two weeks ago.

The first matches on Saturday were two doubles matches where Rotorua's number one seeded pairing of Shaun Tamai and Sean Martin came up against Austen Childs and Jacob Darling.

Childs is back in Tauranga after taking a small break from college tennis in the United States.

The second doubles match had Rotorua's Jesse Galvin-Dawson and Lionel Rogers up against Tim Hughes and Shawn Dawson.

The number one doubles match would have seen the Rotorua pair go in as underdogs to the classy Tauranga Lawn pair.

Rotorua lost the first set in a tie breaker 6-7.

However, they were able to claw back the second set 6-4 and eventually take the third set 6-4 as well.

The level of tennis played during this match was so high players from other courts nearby commented on the quality of the game.

The other doubles match saw Tauranga Lawn take their first win 6-3, 6-4. At one win apiece, Rotorua needed to win three of the four singles matches to win outright.

Tamai played Childs in the number one singles match. Childs' consistency and firepower ended up being too much for Tamai who has only just returned to competitive tennis after a 12-year break.

Though Tamai lost to Childs 2-6, 3-6 he admitted that he got a lot out of the match and it held him in good stead for the remainder of the season.

As a result, Rotorua needed to win the remaining three matches to take out the tie, which they did.

Galvin had a strong win against Hughes 6-1, 6-1 and Martin beat Darling 6-1, 6-3. Rotorua's James Wilce played the number four singles match against Tauranga Lawn's Rob Whale.

Wilce easily won the first set 6-0 but Whale made a bit of a comeback in the second set, before Wilce took that set 6-4.

The Rotorua women's premier team had a bye at the weekend. The Rotorua teams are made up of players from the Rotorua Tennis Club and Lynmore Tennis Club.

The new Waikato Bay of Plenty premier interclub competition is contested every two weeks.

The Rotorua men's team will host Gate Pa on Saturday, October 4, while the Rotorua women's team will also play Gate Pa away from home.