Premier tennis sides repeat

Both winning sides from week one repeated the effort during the second round of the Wine Brokers NZ premier interclub tennis competition on Wednesday.

Rapaura Wairau River Blanc and Marlborough Forrest Wines Whero made it two-from-two in contrasting fashions.

Blanc claimed a comfortable win over Marlborough Forrest Wines Ma, prevailing by five matches to one.

The doubles were shared. Stephen Dempster and Jaco van Hensbergen scoring a 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 win for Ma, before Blanc replied through Clyde Sowman and Heidi Stenhouse-Allen, who beat Anna Simpson and Koos Richter 6-4, 6-4.

However, the singles all went the way of the Rapaura club.

Walkenhorst beat Dempster 6-1, 6-3, Bell downed van Hensbergen by the same score, Stenhouse-Allen battled to a 6-4, 1-6, 10-7 win over Simpson while Sowman downed Richter 6-4, 6-4.

The other tie was much tighter, with Whero having to go to set countback to get past Rapaura River Noir after the matches were tied 3-3.

Again, the doubles were shared. Whero’s Hamish Morrow and Stu Campbell beat Dan Clarke and Ella Sowman 6-4, 6-2, while Max Sowman and Eveline Apthorp van der Linden outlasted Mieko Kimura and Kyle Heagney 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 in what would prove a crucial scoreline.

The doubles were also shared, all in straight sets, Morrow beating Clarke 7-5, 7-6, Ella Sowman downing Campbell 6-1, 6-3, Max Sowman toppling Heagney 6-4, 6-3 and Kimura getting the better of Apthorp van der Linden 6-0, 6-4.

When sets were added up Whero came out on top 7-6 to keep their early unbeaten run going in what is shaping as a tight competition.

There was no President’s Grade tennis this week due to inclement weather on Tuesday.