TENNIS CHAMP

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 77, 24 January 1947, Page 5

TENNIS CHAMP

MISS JUDY BURKE SUCCESS AT AUCKLAND A star at the recent Auckland Junior Tennis Championships was 15-year-old Judy Burke, of Edgecumbe, who carried off the Auckland Junior singles title, and, paired with Miss -Valerie Johnson, of Auckland, whom she defeated in the final, the doubles honours also. Over 100 boys and girls from Auckland, Tauranga, Edgecumbe, Hamilton, Waitoa, Whakatane, Helensville and Te Aroha competed, among them being Miss Burke. With one set against her and the score 5 games to 2 in the second of the final, the chances of local honours being gained seemed remote, but in a very effective manner, and hitting all her shots with an easy confidence, Miss Burke gradually closed the margin to emerge triumphant. She arid her opponent, paired for the doubles, were untroubled to win. Senior Title

A previous success of Miss Burke’s was her winning of a senior title (Bay of Plenty, at Tauranga) before Junior honours had come her way.

Commenting on her play at Tauranga, a Metropolitan daily briefly outlines her tennis career as follows:

Four years ago Judy came to Auckland as a lass of 12 for the junior championships, but she did not get far up the competition ladder. Next year she did better, and thereafter she became a serious opponent for the title aspirants and also started to make her presence felt at the national championships. Valerie Johnson had already won an Auckland championship when Judy beat her in the Auckland hard court contest at Nicholson Park and this success was quite an important event in the Edgecumbe player’s career. In one of her two visits to the New Zealand junior, championships Judy reached the semi-finals of the singles. .Unpaired in the doubles last year at Wellington a partner was found for her in Beverley Lobb, of Wellington. They reached the final, only to have Valerie Johnson and Heather Redwood stop their winning sequence. Prior to this Judy and Valerie had met in the Auckland junior singles final for the first time, Valerie being the winner. Last Saturday Judy turned the tables, but they successfully joined forces in the double. This week they will play together in the New Zealand championships.