Doubly bad day for Maungaraki
Maungaraki club will lose both their men’s and women’s teams from Wellington’s top premier tennis grade post-Christmas.
The men’s team will join Karori United in relegation by the narrowest of margins amongst the three-bottom placed.
Teams have been awaiting their fate for several weeks on multiple protest rulings by the premier committee.
Tennis Central events and operations manager, Florent Perret, was comfortable that the correct decisions were made.
‘‘It’s taken almost three weeks but the committee needed to take this time to evaluate all the facts thoroughly and apply competition rules appropriately. There’s a lot at stake for clubs and we certainly appreciate the need for us to get it right,’’ Perret said.
Despite having a point deducted for a uniform breach, Miramar men edged past Maungaraki in the final standings when they also gained a point from Wellington on player ineligibility.
It was just as tight in the women’s draw amongst the bottom teams after relegation was determined between Maungaraki and Thorndon on an overall set differential countback.
Despite Thorndon beating them on court 6-0, these points were stripped over player ineligibility leaving the two teams equal on points.
Maungaraki will join Titahi Bay in the second grade after falling behind Thorndon in the closest of margins, by a three-set countback, for and against.
Play resumes across all premier grades in late January as the four demoted teams will attempt to finish top to regain their spots, but have some tough competition from the premier two winners to get through first.
The top six will play towards a spot in the premier grand final at season’s end. Thorndon and Tawa-Lyndhurst men look set to be the early favourites but it’s wide open in the women’s draw with Paraparaumu Beach, Khandallah, Lower Hutt and Wellington all in contention.