Close competition at tennis tournament

NINETEEN children representing Central and Eastern Taranaki rural primary schools competed for the prestigious Amy Smith and Don Walter tennis trophies on Monday in Stratford.
Justin Bishop (Makahu) won the boys competition and the Amy Smith Barometer, with a maximum 132 points, winning all of his matches. 
Runner-up was Tim Neild (Ngaere) with 131 points, followed by Logan Tippett (Ngaere) with 123 points.
Dayna Corbett (Ngaere) won the girls title and the Don Walter Cup with a maximum 90 points, winning all of her matches. 
Runner-up was Roma Poletti (Makahu) with 86 points, and third was Danielle Hasler (Ngaere) with 79 points.
The tournament originated in Douglas in 1952 as a memorial to the late Amy Smith (nee Walter), a keen tennis player and ardent supporter of the sport. 
The competition was formerly played between Eastern Districts schools as both a doubles and singles tournament.  In recent years central Taranaki rural schools have joined the tournament, with the format being changed to singles play.