The two leading teams, Andersons Bay and St Clair, faced each other in the final pre-Christmas round of ties in division 1 interclub at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
Top-of-the-table Andersons Bay was somewhat under strength, missing Marco Hartono and Oliver Scott from its usual line-up. Experienced duo Gavin Mockford and Phil Mirfin stepped into the breach but found the going tough in the top order.
Mockford found himself up against an in-form Mitch Sizemore, who was fresh from an unbeaten weekend of singles for Otago at the recent Southern Open Teams Event.
Sizemore showed no mercy, snuffing out any sniff of a service break Mockford got with a barrage of thunderbolt first serves. Sizemore took the match 6-1 6-1.
Mirfin might have been expected to push Shaun Paringatai in the No 2 spot, but could only muster the same number of games as Mockford, going down 6-2, 6-0.
Andersons Bay picked up points through Angela Mockford, Rileigh Fields and Matthew Rusher to stay in the contest at three wins apiece after the singles.
St Clair edged the contest by five rubbers to four, the pivotal result being a super tie doubles victory to Jeff Elliotte and Sam Sherburd over Rusher and Mirfin.
OBHS continued climbing the points table with a seven rubbers to two win over Balmacewen 2.
Mya Haigh got her OBHS team off to a good start with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Pippa Sherriff, showing the benefit of recent matchplay.
Balmacewen 2 captain Mat McCutcheon kept Jaden Grinter honest, the latter taking the result 6-1, 6-4. Balmacewen 2’s Max Gaffaney then showed his best form of the year to overcome the promising Max MacLachlan 7-5, 6-3.
OBHS’s Daniel Lund was shaded by Balmacewen 2’s Hugo Barsby, both players showing their game is on the rise.
OBHS made no race of the three doubles rubbers, sealing a result that consolidates its position in the top four teams on the points table.
In the third tie of the day, North Otago team Waimaru beat Balmacewen 1 six rubbers to three.
Waimaru’s women, led by Belinda Hirst, again showed their strength, sweeping their three rubbers in straight sets.
For Balmacewen, Shreenidhi Mahamuni showed pluck in stretching Jordyn Phillips at times, and Ella Richardson, returning from injury, eventually found some rhythm against Hirst.
Jack Warner claimed the scalp of Waimaru No 1 Robin Jamieson 6-3, 6-3. Ben Sinclair and Marshall Hore continued their pattern of close battles, with Hore coming out on top on this occasion to earn a rubber for Waimaru.
In one of the most exciting matches of the day’s action Balmacewen 1’s Charlie Byers shaded her contest with Mackenzie Phillips 10-6 in the super tie.
The interclub competition now takes a break before resuming in late January.
- Fraser Richardson
