The first round of the Scarbro Caro Bowl tennis in Auckland proved that defending men’s champs, Parnell will once again be the side to beat while the women’s side from the same club looks like being a team which is also a title contender. In a battle featuring most of the current and past New Zealand Davis Cup team, Parnell led by Dan King-Turner at No1 defeated West End in a repeat of last seasons final 5-1. King-Turner beat Adam Thompson in three sets in the top singles while West End gained a match as former Kiwi No1 Mark Nielsen returned to tennis and had a victory over Matt Prentice who withdrew halfway through their clash as a result of an arm injury. Steve Downs won for Parnell at three over Martin Colenbrander who pulled out halfway into their match with an arm injury while Jacob Olsen scored a three set win over James Greenhalgh. In one of the best doubles combinations in the country for years Alistair Hunt and Downs beat Nielsen and Greenhalgh in the bottom doubles game in straight sets.

In other matches Pompallier managed a countback victory over Blockhouse Bay, although Jackson Bodle won the top singles over ATP ranked Finn Tearney in straight sets for the Bay while Robbie Cheyne and James Shortall scored wins for Pompallier over James Meredith and Eru Lyndon. 

Newcomers Campbell Park had a 5-1 win over Royal Oak thanks mainly to the assistance of two young Aussie professionals, Kaden Hensel and Andrew Gregory while Kohimarama show they will be no easily beats as they dispatched Remuera easily. Campbell Park now have a home match against Blockhouse Bay. If the Park team is able to get ATP ranked Hensel and 18-year-old left hander Andrew Gregory again they could be gaining more points. The best prospects for the Bay side are the feisty Bodle along with Canterbury team James Meredith who at 18 is one of the rising stars of the sport in this country.

Royal Oak will be hoping to get some decent points as they play Pompallier. The experience of former ATP ranked players, James Shortall and Robbie Cheyne cannot be underestimated for Pompallier, but neither can the consistency of Royal Oak’s Andrew Allan.

Kohimarama now have to try and contain West End who are unlikely to have Thompson and may have some troubles with the injury to Colenbrander, however Teo Susnjak is still available.

Remuera used their main coach Troy Turnbull in singles in week one and may have to find a replacement again as they take on favourites Parnell without No1 Sam Gould who is overseas. Prentice may not be able to play in the contest for Parnell as a result of his occurrence of his arm injury.

In the women’s competition the battle of the big teams had Parnell featuring Di Hollands and Pavlina Nola account for Kohimarama 4-2. Hollands defeated rising star Briar Preston in three sets while Nola beat Sarah Adams.

Defending champs Mangere Combined beat Remuera 5-1 and once again look solid. Royal Oak put newly promoted Glendowie down 5-1, but the promoted team proved they won’t be a pushover. In the other match Mission Bay with Shona Lee and Tanya Samodelok in the top two spots defeated Pompallier 6-0.

Kohimarama will be involved in the match of round two as they host Mangere Combined who always bring a big crowd with them. The top singles matches should feature Preston against former international Tracey O’Connor.

Pompallier will have to refocus after their first round loss when they play the quiet achievers, Royal Oak at Pompallier while Remuera have the players to gain the odd point in the lower order when they play a top-heavy Parnell side.

Glendowie host their second home match this time against near neighbours, Mission Bay. For those who haven’t seen her in action, then Samodelok who turns 14 this month is a worthwhile watch.

First round Caro Bowl scores:      Men: Pompallier 3 Blockhouse Bay 3: Finn Tearney lt Jackson Bodle7-6 6-2 ,Robbie Cheyne bt James Meredith 6-3 7-6 ,James Shortall bt Eru Lyndon 6-1 6-2 , Adam Staub lt Anton Bettink 7-6 1-6 1-6 , Tearney/Shortall bt Bodle/Bettink 6-1 6-7 6-2 , Cheyne/Staub lt Lyndon/Meredith 2-6 2-6

Parnell 5 West End 1: Dan King-Turner bt Adam Thompson 6-7 7-5 6-2, Matt Prentice lt Mark Nielsen 6-4 4-3 retired, Steve Downs bt Martin Colenbrander 6-1 1-1 retired,  Jacob Olsen bt James Greenhalgh 6-1 3-6 6-3, King-Turner bt Thompson/Colenbrander 7-6 6-0, Alistair Hunt/Downs bt Nielsen/Greenhalgh 6-3 6-4   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Campbell Park 5 Royal Oak 1 : Kaden Hensel bt Wei Wei 6-2 6-3 , Andrew Gregory bt Andrew Allan 7-5 6-3 , Rodney Cook bt Trent O’Keefe 6-1 6-2, Jamie Eccleton lt James Grinter 2-6 2-6, Hensell/Gregory bt Wei Wei/Allan 4-6 6-0 6-3, Cook/Eccleton bt Scott Winnard/O’Keefe 6-3 7-6  

Kohimarama 6 Remuera 0 : Gerrit Steenkamp bt Henry Gers 7-6 6-3, Dan Davies bt Troy Turnbull 6-2 6-3, Aaron McDougall bt James Pilbro 7-5 6-0, Kyle August bt Gareth Dowdell 6-4 6-3, Steenkamp/Davies bt Gers/Pilbro 7-6 6-4,  McDougall/August bt Dowdell/Paul Ravkin 6-2 6-4

 Women: Mangere Combined 5 Remuera 1: Tracey O’Connor bt Brittany Teei 6-3 6-1, Lucy Barlow bt Ashley Siddall 6-3 6-1, Selma Tafu lt Katherine Monford 4-6 6-2 5-7, Deane Haami bt Renata Hryckiewicz 6-3 6-2 , O’Connor/Barlow bt Teei/Wendy Owen 6-2 6-3 , Taufu/Haami bt Siddall/Monford 6-4 6-0  

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Oak 5 Glendowie 1: Leela Beattie lt Sarah McDermott 1-6 4-6, Nicola Kaiwai bt Ioana Teu 6-1 6-3, Angela Swinkels bt Rebecca Lee 7-6 6-0, Gabrielle Grady bt Tiffany Baxter-Smith 6-1 6-0, Beattie/Swinkels bt McDermott/Teu 6-1 4-6 6-4, Kaiwai/Grady bt Baxter-Smith/Deanne Alter 6-4 6-2  

Mission Bay 6 Pompallier 0: Shona Lee bt Rosie Bird 6-4 6-1, Tanya Samodelok bt Lucy Bird 6-0 6-0, Diana D’Audney bt Maddy White 6-4 6-1, Mikaela Davies bt Alexia Barrett 6-3 6-2, Lee/Samodelok bt Bird/Bird 6-1 6-4,  D’Audney/Kate Shearer bt White/Barrett 6-3 6-1

Parnell 4 Kohimarama 2 : Di Hollands bt Briar Preston 4-6 7-6 6-1, Pavlina Nola bt Sarah Adams 6-2 6-1, Christine Foote lt Heidi Stewart 2-6 6-0 2-6, Jo Carswell lt Katharina Mittag 1-6 2-6, Hollands/Nola bt Preston/Mittag 6-1 6-3, Foote/Carswell bt Adams/Stewart 6-1 3-6 6-2