The Southern Lakes tennis team, which has held the Rennie Trophy for southern region supremacy for 14 years, seems likely to maintain its record when the first round of the Southern League is played in Queenstown this weekend.
However, a number of factors in Otago’s favour mean that it is unlikely there will be another 12-0 whitewash as was the case in the corresponding round last year.
The first factor is that Lakes has entered a B team as well, to ensure a true quadrangular, because of the inability of Southland or South Canterbury to field a squad at this level. North Otago will make up the fourth team.
Lakes has concentrated its strength in the A team but has left some talented players in the B team who might have been useful in the top squad.
A third factor is a reported injury to national junior representative Emilia Price, who is its clear number one woman, and who has dominated in that spot, even as a 15-year-old.
Another advantage for Otago this year is the return of Libby Scott from a US college scholarship and the return of Georgia Hume and Jessie Stevenson, whose availability has been limited recently.
However, this is countered by the return of the very experienced Lan Bale, who reached a high of 23 in world doubles, to join another former pro in Perry Crockett, now coaching in Wanaka, along with their expected No 1 Riki McLachlan. McLachlan came back from the University of California (Berkeley) and has proved too strong in the past as a national top-tenner.
The experienced and competitive Chris Bradley rounds out the men, while Thomas Hartono is likely to see game time only on the first day.
The Lakes women will be led by recent national age group champion Ines Stephani, if Price is absent, and her match with former national age group champ Scott could be a good measuring stick.
Their squad is rounded out by veterans who include leading players from their former countries. Li-Ying Moroney and Suma Ito come into that category and Felicity Oxnevad is a multiple veteran titleholder. Dannique Ehmann is also named.
The Lakes B women have an interesting addition in former Aucklander Megan Rogers, who is ranked S3, which is higher than all but Scott in the Otago team.
Otago has lost Paddy Ou, who has had a family bereavement and is in China, and has been replaced by experienced doubles specialist Jeff Elliotte. Aaron Hicks, back from Auckland for this assignment, Mitchell Sizemore, Ryan Eggers and Carlos Reid have played together for a number of years and have gained experience since leaving juniors.
The late defection of Abby Edwards has meant the promotion to debut of Bianka Shibuya, a Japanese exchange student, while Rileigh Fields could pay a dividend in the lower order after spending time as high as No 1 in the recent past.
In the division 2 quadrangular in Oamaru, Otago B is joined by North Otago B, South Canterbury A and Southland A. Otago has suffered from a number of injuries and defections as well as the loss of several students, but will hope to remain in contention when the second round is played in Dunedin in February, the results being cumulative.
