14 October 2006

The Soffe Cup got underway on Saturday in good conditions. Newcomers Rotokare and A.W.E. Huatoki both had comfortable 12-4 wins and Stratford/Midhirst and Okaiawa had an 8-8 draw.
 
Rotokare were up 5-3 after the singles against Hooker Pacfic Pukekura at Rotokare. All the men won, with No 1 Chris Popata not conceding a game against Zac Wills. No 2 Greg Hareb won on the third set tiebreak against Ben Aves, 6-2, 5-7,7-6 and Mark Atkins and Kevin McLoughlin only lost three games between them against Meto Snegirev and Quinn Rosa.  Pukekura's women won three out of four singles with No 2 Donna Thorne winning a tight game against Val Mcloughlin, 2-6, 6-1,7-6. Kirsten Adam had an easy win against Michelle Atkins and Jeanette Harding beat 11 year old Soffe Cup debutant Beccie Atkins 6-3, 6-2. Rotokare's No 1 Leith Atkins, whose three children are in the team, had a 6-4, 6-4 win over Linda Reid.  Rotokare only lost one more match; the No 2 women's doubles with Adam and Harding winning 6-1, 6-0 against Michelle and Beccie Atkins.
 
A.W.E. Huatoki led 6-2 after the singles against Waiwaka, at Waiwaka. The men's singles were shared with Huatoki's No 1 and 3 Jonathan Ussher and Neil Bridgeman defeating Jordan Stayt and Rhys Sutton. Waiwaka's Stuart Wood and David Chamberlain evened the score with wins over Roy Gaskin and 13 year old Alistair Nairn, both making their debuts.  Huatoki's women are their strength and No 1 Janice Taylor defeated Jayden Bruce in three sets. The rest of the women, Chris Wilson, Robyn Hinton and Megan Walsh had comfortable wins over Yvonne Chamberalin, Alison Chamberlain and Ana McSeveny.  Huatoki continued their winning way, only dropping the top women's doubles and no 2 men's doubles.
 
The biggest surprise of the round was the draw between Stratford/Midhirst and Okaiawa at Midhirst. The home team were favoured but Okaiawa proved they are not going to be easybeats. In a tie that was even throughout, Stratford/Midhirst won the top two men's singles. Gavin Phelan defeated Andrew Powell 6-1, 6-4 and Michael O'Sullivan  defeated Len Adamson, (gained from Kaponga), 6-4, 7-6. Okaiawa won the No 3 and 4 singles both in third set tiebreakers. Andrew Baylis beat Grant Kite 6-1,3-6,7-6 while his son Vincent beat Stephen Uhlenberg 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.
In the womens' matches Okaiawa's No 1 Joanne Gyde defeated Min Zimmerman 6-3, 7-5 while No 4 Moira Daly defeated Liz O'Sullivan 6-4, 6-0.  Stratford/Midhirst evened the score with their No 2 Kesli Bevins and No 3 Maree Kydd having wins over Megan Gyde and Michelle Powell.
In the doubles Stratford/Midhirst won both the men's matches and Okaiawa's women won both theirs.  The combines were even with Stratford/Midhirst taking out the top two and Okaiawa the No 3 and 4 matches.