Andy Bay’s women remain unbeaten for the season after proving too strong for Balmacewen in the Dunedin club competition at the weekend.
Former Otago representative Zoe Berryman returned to club tennis for Andy Bay as she took on Balmacewen’s Amy Bucher.
In a tight first set, Berryman stayed solid in the later stages, taking it 6-3.
With growing confidence, Berryman was able to free up her game, taking the second set and the match, 6-3, 6-1.
The first doubles saw Pat Laney/Simone Hart (Andy Bay) take on Catherine Brennan/Michelle Mitchell (Balmacewen), with the former winning 6-3, 6-1.
Up 2-0, Andy Bay needed to win only one set from the remaining singles and doubles match.
Hart wasted no time in doing so as she took the first set 6-0 against Mitchell. The second set saw a valiant fightback by the latter, but Hart eventually took it 6-4.
The final doubles were also won by Andy Bay, giving them a 4-0 win.
The second tie between Mornington and Taieri saw the latter having to default due to player availability.
On the men’s side, Balmacewen 2 caused an upset against league leaders Andy Bay Sharks.
Balmacewen 2 got off to a fast start at top singles as Hugo Barsby won 6-1, 6-0 against Anthony Mirfin, who was returning from injury.
Gerard Farrell then made it 2-0 as he beat Mike Smith 6-2, 6-2.
However, Andy Bay’s lower order again fought back as they picked up both No3 and No4 singles. Matthew Campbell, of Andy Bay, had to dig very deep against Max Gaffaney, winning 11-9 in the third set super tiebreak.
With the tie at 2-2, Balmacewen 2 needed to win a doubles in straight sets to take the tie.
The in-form Barsby and the experienced Nick Cutfield did just that as they beat Campbell/Matt Rusher 6-1, 6-3.
Andy Bay were able to sneak the bottom doubles, but Balmacewen 2 grabbed a crucial 3-3 win on countback.
In the other men’s tie, Balmacewen 1 beat Andy Bay vets by a 3-3 games countback. The former’s lower order came to the fore as only five games were dropped.
The results at the weekend mean all men’s teams have a realistic shot at the title.
— Paddy Ou
