Strong team named for Christie Cup defence

Kyle Butters and Paige Hourigan will remain linchpins of Wanganui's Christie Cup defence on Sunday. PHOTO/FILE

It took them 50 years to make the Christie Cup a resident at the Bassett Street courts and the Wanganui representative team won't give up their guest without a fight against Taranaki on Sunday.

The Wanganui team named for the first cup defence of the year is just about the strongest possible and very similar to the six men/six women squad that defeated Taranaki to lift the trophy last year.

Globe-trotting Emma Hayman is the only major absentee as world-ranked juniors Paige Hourigan and Kyle Butters are both back in the sky blue colours, with the team again led by current coach and former Mexican No1 Victor Romero.

Just one week past a full year ago this extremely promising Wanganui team, including Hayman, headed to New Plymouth to attempt to claim the Cup, which they did after 24 games with a 15-9 victory.

The win was dedicated to Wanganui Tennis Club patron Barbara Griffin, who travelled up for the day and had been in the last Wanganui team to hold the cup at the end of a season in 1963.

Then in February this year, the second half of the goal was completed as Wanganui comfortably saw off Manawatu 16-8, after taking an unassailable 13-5 lead into the mixed doubles section by the end of the day.

That victory meant they were able to carve the Wanganui name onto the trophy as only the association which holds it at the end of a season is afforded that privilege.

The pinnacle of Central Districts team tennis, in 1926 the cup was presented by Dr Howard Christie to New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association to be contested by Taranaki, Manawatu, Wanganui, Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay (excluded since 2008).

On Sunday the singles games will start on all 12 courts at 10am best of three tiebreaker sets.

The doubles are scheduled to start around 12pm and the mixed doubles at 2pm.