Tennis top guns take on regional rivals

The Cradock Tennis Club will be aiming to make it two in a row when the second edition of the Growthpoint Top Guns Club Championships takes place in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Initiated by Tennis South Africa last year, the event is aimed at providing club players with an opportunity to pit their skills against their regional rivals in a team tennis format.

The Eastern Province tournament takes place at the PE Lawn Tennis Club, starting at 8am, catering for two sections – the Top Guns and the Pop Guns.

The talented Cradock outfit led the way last year and it would not be surprising to see them successfully defend the title.

However, there is sure to be plenty of competition from their Nelson Mandela Bay rivals, with Victoria Park fielding two teams and the other clubs being Sunridge Park, Westview and Wembley.

Wembley, last year’s runners-up, have enjoyed much growth in recent years and could be the dark horses for the title if Cradock slip up along the way.

To provide for those not chosen in the clubs’ main teams, Tennis Nelson Mandela Bay has invited four sides to compete in the quaintly named Pop Guns event.

Its chair, Mike Bladen, welcomed the initiative.

“By providing the club player with an opportunity to compete beyond the normal leagues, Tennis SA has sent a timely message – ‘we care for you and want to give you something to work towards’,” Bladen said.