Selector delighted with first day effort

Gary Caffell | 1st February 2010

Wairarapa played above expectations on the first day of their quadrangular inter-provincial tennis tournament in New Plymouth over the weekend.

They led top seeds and hot favourites Taranaki 5-3 at the end of the singles but the home team dominated the doubles-wins in which were worth two points compared with one for the singles - to secure an 11-5 victory.

In their following match against second seeds Manawatu, Wairarapa again jumped out to a 5-3 advantage after the singles but this time they picked up three doubles as well to win by 11-5.

In both encounters the same five players won their singles for Wairarapa - Jono Hurley, Matt Spooner, Baden Stevenson, Sade Atkinson and Rhona Lovell.

Doubles wins against Manawatu were achieved by the combinations of Jono Hurley and Matt Spooner, Baden Stevenson and Sade Atkinson and, perhaps, most notably of all, Katie Wyeth and Zoe Schofield. Theirs was the first women's doubles success secured by Wairarapa at this level for some years

Selector Steve Hurley was delighted with the Wairarapa effort on day one, saying it guaranteed them finishing either second or third in the tournament, a result which would bely their fourth seeding.