Having a puff between games at the South Island tennis festival at the grass courts in Chelmer St, Oamaru, yesterday, Mr McKerrow (71) quipped that smoking cigarettes and drinking beer was the secret to his longevity in the sport.
The Waianakarua identity, former Otago regional councillor and occasional bard and bagpipe player, has been playing for his local club - now known as the Waihamers (incorporating Waianakarua, Hampden and Herbert) for 59 years.
He is president of North Otago veterans tennis and is playing for the Pitball Terrors - "a cracking team" - in the tennis festival, for players over 35.
The festival finishes today.
Team captain Kathie Henderson said Mr McKerrow was one of the few players who threw himself around on the court.
"He's always on his knees," she said.
Mr McKerrow said he enjoyed "a lot of laughs" at the festival.
"There's a lot of good people here."
One year, he brought along his bagpipes and played the Wombles of Wimbledon between games to put people off.
His biggest problem was his eyesight, which was not as good as it used to be. He could still run, but his vision did not adjust quickly enough for the fast balls.
However, he had no plans to retire from the sport, despite taking up bowls last year, initially socially, but now a little more seriously.
He had an incentive to play tennis for another couple of years.
He has played with three generations of the Ross family and is waiting for the fourth generation to get old enough to wield a tennis racket.
Then he could retire - "maybe".
