Wanganui High School's hopes of a podium finish in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tennis Championships have been dashed after three rounds at the Albany Tennis Centre in Auckland.
WHS, the only Wanganui team playing in the competition, had hoped to better their record in the event after claiming theirthird entry to the nationals in as many years by winning the Hurricanes regional Secondary Schools final on their home court this month.
With world-ranked and national junior titleholder Kyle Butters in the team, capably backed by his younger sister Paris Butters, promising players Gabrielle Hiri, Dylan Rowe and Sam Russell and up-and-comer Rebekah Butters-Chamberlain, WHS was aiming to improve on two seventh placings from eight teams in previous attempts.
However, despite the dominance of Kyle Butters, WHS have been relegated to the bottom four of the eight teams competing after losses to the strong St Kentigern College 4-2 and St Andrew's College, Christchurch, 5-1 in the first two rounds. St Kentigern were third seeds for the competition.
WHS team manager Peter Reid said Butters had won all his matches, claiming his singles against St Kentigern, beating top player Trenten Leleni 6-2, 6-0, and then combining with Dylan Rowe to overpower Leleni and Freddie Cashmore-Chatwin in a tie-breaker.
Butters also claimed Elliot Darling 7-6, 6-1 in his singles clash against second-seeded St Andrew's. On Tuesday, WHS claimed the scalp of Feilding High 4-0 and after winning both doubles games yesterday morning ended up 6-0 up over Feilding.
In the afternoon session against Burnside High from Christchurch yesterday, WHS won 4-2 with the Butters siblings leading the charge.
Both Kyle and Paris won their singles and doubles. Kyle won his singles 6-1, 6-1, while Paris cleaned up in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. In the doubles, Kyle partnered Sam Russell to win, while Paris teamed with Rebekah Butters-Chamberlain for victory.
This morning, WHS take on Trident High from Bay Of Plenty in a play-off for fifth and sixth.
The top of the table is shaping as a battle among St Kentigern, St Andrew's, Mt Albert Grammar from Auckland and St Peter's College from Cambridge.-->-->
