The tennis
season gets underway in Taranaki on Saturday with the Soffe Cup
starting.
This season
there will again be seven teams competing for the coveted prize.
The top
four from last season , AWE Huatoki, Sandfords Manaia, Central Finance
Rotokare and Hooker Pacific Pukekura are there and Waiwaka have combined
with Stratford/Midhirst (who combined together last season). The
newcomers are Oakura and Matapu, promoted from A Grade Division 2.
AWE
Huatoki is looking like the team to beat. They have the
same squad from last season with the addition of Jordan Stayt from
Waiwaka and former top Taranaki player Sumin Modgill. Neil Bridgeman is
returning from Hawkes Bay shortly and Lucy Barlow will be joining the
team when her Auckland interclub commitments are finished. She is
playing Chelsea Cup and Caro Bowl which are the top interclub
competitions.
Sandfords Manaia are not the force they have been with a number
of players missing from last season.
Not playing
are Tom Luxton - transferred to Matapu, Alaister Murdoch -not playing
Soffe Cup, Nicole Koch -attending university, Alesha Ford -attending
school in Waikato. There is a youthful look about the team with
five teenagers in it.
Central Finance Rotokare have lost Kevin and Val McLoughlin who
have moved to Rotorua but gained Ben Pollard, Kate Laurensen and Anne
Ruwhiu -all newcomers. They will still be a force to be reckoned with.
Hooker Pacific Pukekura will be a top four contender with the
only addition to last year's squad being Tania Fleming.
Waiwaka/Stratford/Midhirst have gained former Kaponga No 1
Krystal Oakes but have lost Taranaki junior rep Jordan Stayt to Huatoki.
They may struggle to make the top four.
Oakura will be determined not to be a one season wonder and
they have a team that look strong enough to win their share of matches.
Former No 1 rep player Aaron Hine will spearhead the line-up.
Matapu will find the going tough in the big league but have
gained Tom Luxton from Manaia who will be their No 1 player.
The full
squads are:
AWE
Huatoki
Jonathan
Ussher, Roy Gaskin, Jordan Stayt, Neil Bridgeman, Amrit Rai, Rakesh Rai,
Sumin Modgill
Lucy
Barlow, Saori Han, Janice Taylor, Robyn HInton, Chris Wilson, Megan
Walsh, Megan O'Donnell
Sandfords Manaia
Michael
Gates, Jason Mills, Jacob Gopperth, Jordan Fleming
Ginny
Death, Shinae Bailey, Maree Gopperth, and one to be added
Central Finance Rotokare
Ben
Pollard, Chris Popata, Greg Hareb, Mike Roberts, Shane Devlin
Leith
Atkins, Kate Laurensen, Anne Ruwhiu, Maureen Whiting
Hooker Pacific Pukekura
Zac Wills
(to be confirmed ), Meto Snegirev, MIchael Fleming, Paul Simpson, Ben
Aves
Linda Reid,
Donna Thorne, Jeanette Harding, Kirsten Adam, Tania Fleming, Carole
Medway
Waiwaka/Stratford/Midhirst
Michael
O'Sullivan, David Innes, David Chamberlain, Grant Kite, Bruce Cleland
Krystal
Oakes, Jayden Bruce, Alison Chamberlain, Yvonne Chamberlain, Mary-Ellen
Annabell
Oakura
Aaron Hine,
John Hardie-Boys, Josh Walden, (rest of men's squad to be decided this
week)
Sue
Oldfield, Leah Fletcher, Becky Bruckner, Miaanna Walden , Jill Barron.
Matapu
Tom Luxton,
David White, Rodney Perrett, Jason Hurley, Brent Perrett
Jenni
White, Helen Kelly, Carolyn Koch, Anne Bridges, Michelle Furness
In this
week's games Sandfords Manaia should be too good for Matapu at Manaia.
Waiwaka/Stratford/Midhirst and Hooker Pacific Pukekura will be fairly
even as the combined team have stronger men than Pukekura but Pukekura
may have the edge in the women. The match is being played at Waiwaka.
Central
Finance Rotokare have a tough task against Oakura in a match which
should be tight. Oakura have a strong women's team while Central Finance
Rotokare look stronger in the men than Oakura.
AWE Huatoki
have the bye.