27 January 2006
Soffe Cup tennis resumes
tomorrow after a 6 week break. The competition is reduced to 6 teams with
Okaiawa relegated to Wilson Trophy. Teams go into the second round with
half their points carried over from the first round.
Hookers Pacific Pukekura
leads the competition with 35 points, just .25 ahead of Sandfords Manaia
followed by Accent on Curtains Waiwaka on 28.75 and Midhirst on 28.
Stratford, (26.5) and Kaponga (18) make up the rest of the field.
In the opening week of
games Kaponga are at home to Pukekura. Kaponga will find the going tough;
in the first round they only picked up one win. Pukekura's men's
line-up of Zac Wills, Tony Radich, Ben Aves and Meto Snegirev should repeat
their easy wins of the first round against Len Adamson, Kyle Crowley, Brad
Dowdle and Blair Crowley.
Pukekura's 1, 2 and 4
women should also prove too strong; Linda Reid, Kirsten Adam and and
Jeanette Harding play Krystal Oakes, Helena Goodin and Michelle Atkins while
Kaponga's No 2 Maree Jones prevailed over Donna Thorne in the first round.
Midhirst are at home to
Sandfords Manaia; in the first round Manaia won 14-2. Midhirst may
pick up a few more games this week against a depleted Manaia team. They are
missing their No 2 and 3 men, Thomas Luxton (unavailable), Cameron Koch (in
Christchurch with CD Under 16 team) and No 3 woman Ashlee Murdoch
(injured).
Midhirst's men's team is
likely to be Jono Ussher, Michael O'Sullivan, Neil Kingston and Stephen
Uhlenberg and they will take on Manaia's Jason Mills, Alaister Murdoch,
Kelvin Tosland and Taranaki Under 14 rep, Jacob Gopperth who is making his
Soffe Cup debut. Honours are likely to be shared after the singles
with Manaia's Mills and Tosland favoured while Midhirst's No 2 and 4,
O'Sullivan and Uhlenberg should win their matches.
Manaia's women should
win all their singles matches, the probable team of Nicole Koch, Alesha
Ford, Abbey Death/Irene Cruikshank and Cindy Death will play a team likely
to consist of Lyn Stanners, Shelley Childs, Liz O' Sullivan/Marlene Foreman
and Pam Wray.
Stratford are at home on
the grass courts to Accent on Curtains Waiwaka. The first round clash is no
guide as it was rain affected but Waiwaka should have a comfortable win.
Stratford's team of
Gavin Phelan, Elliot Campbell, Bruce Cleland and Grant Kite will play Aaron
Hine, Chris Popata, Jordan Stayt and David Geange. Waiwaka should win at
least three matches, Stratford's No 3 Bruce Cleland will be looking for a
repeat of his win in the first round over Jordan Stayt. The women's
matches are Stratford's Kylie Jury, Tracey Zimmerman, Min Zimmerman and
Debbie Jury who will play Nicki Martin, Clare Fairey, Jaydn Bruce and Glenda
Frost. The matches could be shared with Waiwaka only favoured in the top two
matches.
A Grade division 2 and 3
also resume tomorrow. In the Wilson Trophy, Okaiawa join Matapu at the top
of the points table, followed by Ecolab Manaia, Huatoki, Oakura and
Stratford.
The Sumpter Trophy will
be contested by Inglewood, (relegated from the Wilson Trophy), who share the
top of the points table with Okaiawa. The are followed by Waiwaka, Matapu,
Manaia 1, Huatoki, Oakura and Manaia 2.