Fine league start in perfect weather
THE Tennis Buffalo City leagues got off to a fine start in perfect weather.
The top 12 women have been divided into three teams of equal strength: Babolat, Wilson and Head. Each individual match consists of 13 games.
The team of Cherie Biggs, Jenny Milne, Lorna Grotjohn and Jilda Manson set the Wilson ball rolling by beating Babolat’s Lizelle Botha, Karlien Kriel, Hanlie Mare and Lynne Green 5328 in games.
Top scorers for Wilson were the hard-hitting Milne and the ever-so-steady Grotjohn who amassed 27 and 26 games respectively.
In the men’s first league the strong Beacon Bay A team gained a convincing victory over their B counterparts.
In a hard-hitting singles encounter between two players recently returned to the city, Jean Coetzee squeezed past Wikus Vorster at 6-2, 7-6 in what was clearly the best match of the afternoon.
The tried-and-tested Gary Thorne/Grant Stuart combination were in sparkling form dropping a mere two games overall in their two matches.
Old Boys squeezed past Gonubie at 9-5 in a battle royal.
Thomas Hellman put Gonubie ahead in defeating Jason Bezuidenhout in straight sets.
In the top singles encounter Sam Townes and Justin Cronje matched each other shot for shot with Townes eventually pulling through at 6-7, 7-5, 10-4 to level scores.
Grant Grotjohn and Shaun Mathie put Old Boys ahead when they edged past Eric van Kets and Gareth Fray at 7-6, 7-5.
Old Boys and Gonubie shared the spoils in the final two doubles matches taking the overall score to 9-5.
Detailed results of men’s first league:
Beacon Bay A vs Beacon Bay B (A players mentioned first):
Jean Coetzee bt Wikus Vorster 6-2, 7-6; Sam McQuirk bt Kirk Gibbons 6-1, 6-1; Gary Thorne, Grant Stuart bt Vorster, McQuirk 6-1, 6-0; bt Grant and Bryce Puchert 6-1, 6-0; Coetzee, Vorster bt Puchert, Puchert 6-0, 6-2. Beacon Bay A 13; Beacon Bay B 0. Old Boys vs Gonubie:
Sam Townes bt Justin Cronje 67, 7-5, 10-4; Thomas Hellman beat Jason Bezuidenhout 6-2, 6-3; Grant Grotjohn, Shaun Mathie bt Eric van Kets, Gareth Fray 7-6, 75; Grant Grotjohn and Shaun Mathie bt Van Kets, Fray at 7-6, 75. Old Boys 9; Gonubie 5. Results of Women’s first league: Hanlie Mare, Lynne Green 5328.
Biggs, Hanson bt Botha, Green 7-6.
Milne, Grotjohn bt Kriel, Mare 10-3.
Biggs, Grotjohn lost to Botha, Mare 5-8.
Milne, Manson bt Kriel, Green 7-6.
Biggs, Milne bt Botha, Kriel 103.
Grotjohn, Manson bt Mare, Green 11-2, Wilson 53; Babolat 28. Results of other leagues: Men:
2nd league: Destiny 10, Old Boys 2; Abbotsford 7, Beacon Bay 4.
3rd League: Mdantsane 5, Stirling 4; Destiny 11, Gonubie 2. Women:
2nd league: Old Boys 7, Beacon Bay 4; Destiny 5, Stirling 4.