Bennett Cup stays over the hill

The Nelson Tennis Club will keep the prized Bennett Cup in their trophy cabinet for the winter after seeing off the challenge of their Marlborough counterparts in Blenheim on Sunday.

The annual two-leg fixture has been played between the two clubs since the late 1920s.

After taking out the first leg, played in Nelson during November 2020, by 27-17, the Nelson club repeated the dose on Sunday, prevailing by the same score.

In near-perfect conditions, teams of 12 men and 12 women from each club played doubles, singles and mixed doubles.

All up, 44 matches were completed, most being evenly-matched with 17 requiring a third set tie break to find the winner.

Nelson enjoyed a clear margin in both the women's and men's singles, helping them to a comprehensive result.

Next season’s challenge for the Bennett Cup will begin in Marlborough in November, 2021.