Doubles team withstand years

Press, 11 April 1979, Page 30

Doubles team withstand years

By

JOHN BROOKS

A doubles combination which had its beginnings at Christchurch Boys’ High School several years ago played a major part in United’s winning of the senior men’s tennis competition this season. Ralph Webster (right in the photograph below) and Neil Pattinson (left) got to know each other’s play extremely well during their schooldays, and the partnership continued successfully when they moved into the open grades for United. Then Pattinson moved to Dunedin for four years, but he was reunited with his former partner at the start of this season. It did not take long for them to pick up the threads, and the effect was beneficial for United. Pattinson, a canny player, proved, an excellent foil for the powerful Webster. Together

they won nine of their eleven inter-club doubles matches, which was two more than the totals achieved by their fellow United players, Hugh Robinson and Lindsay Walton, and North Linwood’s Stephen Harley and Jim Martin. Peter Hampton and Bretf Hibbert won six doubles matches for Shir-

ley, but they were the only occasions on which they played together. Webster and Pattinson were overjoyed to be in the championship winning team, because they also participated in United’s last, success, nine years ago. On that occasion they were associated with John Taylor, who was transferred to the North Island late last year, and Ryan

McCutcheon, who now plays for Sumner. The other members of this season’s United senior team, Walton and Robinson, scored heavily in singles. Walton, at No. 4, won nine of his matches, an achievement matched only by Harley and another North Linwood man, Michael Purcell, and exceeded solely by Hibbert,

who won all 10 of his singles. Robinson had a harder row to hoe than the other players because he had to travel to practices and competition games from Woodend, where he works on the family farm. At No. 2 in the playing order he. won eight of his matches, giving Rhett Mason (Elmwood) his only defeat and being on the

brink of upsetting Hibbert in the grand final. Mason, Hampton and Alan Croad (Avonside) also won eight singles, and Pattinson contributed seven successes to United’s tally. As captain of United, Webster received the men’s championship shield last week from Mr Gerald Scott, Christchurch manager of the Bank of New Zealand, which sponsors the senior competition. At first glance, Webster thought he had been given the wrong shield. The newest and brightest plaque bore the names of members of the Elmwood first mixed grade team. However, it transpired that Elmwood had won so many inter-club competitions last season that two of the plaques had mistakenly been placed on the wrong trophies.