Drylands win all-Rapaura battle
The key match-up during round three of the Allan Scott premier interclub tennis competition took place on the grass as the two Rapaura sides met on Wednesday evening.
Third-placed Rapaura Drylands took on their fourth-placed team-mates, Rapaura Constellation, with Drylands narrowly coming out on top on countback.
Constellation made a perfect start with Blair Harvey and Ben Burridge notching up a 7-5, 6-3 win over Hamish McRae and Mark Evans in the men’s doubles, followed by a victory in the mixed doubles as Dave Williams and Eveline Apthorp upset Glen Cameron and Donna Clark 6-2, 6-4.
Drylands fought back strongly in the singles with McRae defeating Harvey 6-0, 6-1 in the top match, Cameron beating Burridge 7-5, 6-3 at No 2 and Clark overcoming Apthorp 6-1, 6-4 in the women’s match-up. In the No 3 men’s match, Williams’ 6-4, 6-4 win over Evans tied the scores at 3-3, meaning a countback on games was needed to decide the result, with Drylands coming out on top 56 games to 51.
At the Forrest Winery Marlborough Tennis Centre, Renwick scored their third successive win in defeating Forrest Marlborough Raiders four matches to two, while the Forrest Marlborough Storm notched their first win of the season, downing team-mates Forrest Marlborough Bullets five matches to one. Renwick surged to the top of the points table on 34 points, now with a healthy gap over Grovetown and Rapaura Drylands, who sit back on 26. Rapaura Constellation round out the top four on 20 points.
Allan Scott Premier Grade results. Rapaura Drylands (3 matches - 56 games) beat Rapaura Constellation (3 matches - 51 games): Hamish McRae beat Blair Harvey 6-0 6-1, Glen Cameron beat Ben Burridge 7-5 6-3, Mark Evans lost to Dave Williams 1-6 4-6, Donna Clark beat Eveline Apthorp 6-1 6-4, McRae & Evans lost to Harvey & Burridge 5-7 3-6, Cameron & Clark lost to Williams & Apthorp 2-6 4-6.
Renwick Whitehaven 4 beat Forrest Marlborough Raiders 2: Dave Sandford beat Hiro Kishada 6-0 6-0, Chris Nott beat Tony Fenemor 5-7 6-1 10-4, Jay Geris lost to Andre Ryan 6-7 7-6 4-10, Mieko Kimura beat Lily Parkinson 6-2 6-0, Sandford & Nott beat Kishada & Ryan 6-2 6-3, Geris & Kimura lost to Fenemor & Parkinson 6-4 1-6 2-10
Forrest Marlborough Storm 5 beat Forrest Marlborough Bullets 1: Hamish Morrow beat Jean-Luc Hauswirth 7-6 (3) 6-1, Geoff Barnett lost to Mike Paterson 3-6 2-6, Owen Dodson beat Jack Winstanley 6-2 6-1, Amber Lyons beat Grace Howard 6-2 6-2, Morrow & Dodson beat Hauswirth & Winstanley 6-4 6-2, Barnett & Lyons beat Paterson & Howard 6-1 7-5
Grove Tavern Grovetown a bye.
Points: Renwick Whitehaven 34, Grove Tavern Grovetown 26, Rapaura Drylands 26, Rapaura Constellation 20, Forrest Marlborough Storm 18, Forrest Marlborough Raiders 6, Forrest Marlborough Bullets 4.
Presidents Grade results from October 31. Division 1: MTC Anzacs 2 (23) Rapaura Viognier 2 (28); Grovetown Top Shelf 2 (34) Rapaura Drylands 2 (26); MTC Simply Smashing a bye.
Division 2: Rapaura Newhawkes 3 Rapaura Pinot 1; Rapaura Matadors 2 (31) MTC Swallows 2 (22); MTC Power 3 Rapaura Mighty Four 1; MTC Volleyeurs 4 MTC Swifts 0.
Division 3: Renwick Rebels 4 Rapaura Shiraz 0; Grovetown Turf & Tackle 1 MTC Summer Smashers 3; Rapaura Chardonnay 2 (31) MTC Bjorn Again 2 (30); Rapaura Riesling 4 MTC Restrung 0; MTC Tennis the Menace 4 Grovetown Shakers 0