Parnell Make Caro Bowl Finals
Parnell have the opportunity to defend their Caro Bowl tennis titles in the final of the competition this week after two reasonably clear cut semifinal victories. However opponents in the finals, Royal Oak and West End will be thinking that 2009 will be their best opportunities to wrestle the titles away from the regular winners. Royal Oak were the top seeds in the women’s competition going into the semis and duly won their match 4-2 against Remuera but they started badly dropping both doubles matches as Shona Lee and Brittany Teei won the top doubles and Shelley Bryce and Kate Parker the bottom match. Royal Oak then cleaned up all four singles in straight sets.
Royal Oak have been beaten finalists numerous times to Parnell over the past few years and will be determined to finally claim the title which has eluded them. The last time the two sides played Royal Oak easily won 5-1 over an understrength Parnell side.Parnell scored a 5-1 win in their semi over Kohimarama, dropping just the top doubles in three sets. The singles matches won by German Franziska Etzel, Pavlina Nola, Rewa Harriman(nee Hudson) and Libby Scott.
The men’s semifinals had Parnell score a 5-1 win over Blockhouse Bay who were without their top player, Marcus Daniell, playing in professional tournaments in Australia. The only match Parnell dropped was at No3 as where Steve Downs lost in three sets to Wellington’s Marc Paulik, otherwise Matt Prentice, Andrew Batie and Jacob Olsen all won their singles matches in straight sets. The other semifinal featured West End at home against Campbell Park in front of a big crowd. Eventually West End came out the winners on a set countback 7-6 after Mark Nielsen didn’t play his singles knowing the tie was already won.
The doubles matches were shared with former Davis Cup duo Alistair Hunt and James Greenhalgh winning for West End while Nielsen and Wesley Whitehouse lost to Campbell Park’s Argentine duo of Gustavo Gomez and Mariano Pettigrosso in three sets. In singles Gomez continued his good run of results with a straight set win over Adam Thompson but Alistair Hunt and Teo Susnjak came back to gain the upper hand for West End with straight set wins.
When West End clashed with Parnell in round robin play they came out the winner on a games countback, so a close final can be expected.
Women’s Final: Friday 27 November 6pm at Royal Oak, Royal Oak v Parnell
Men’s Final: Friday 27 November 6pm at Parnell, Parnell v West End
Scarbro Caro Bowl tennis semifinals
Women:
Royal Oak 4 Remuera 2
Leela Beattie bt Shona Lee 6-1 6-1
Emily Fanning bt Shelley Bryce 6-2 7-6
Angela Swinkels bt Brittany Teei 6-3 6-3
Rachel Dive bt Kate Parker 6-4 6-1
Beattie/Fanning lt Lee/Teei 4-6 4-6
Swinkels/Dive lt Bryce/Parker 6-3 4-6 5-7
Parnell 5 Kohimarama 1
Franziska Etzel bt Brair Preston default
Pavlina Nola bt Tracey O’Connor 7-6 6-3
Rewa Harriman bt Heidi Stewart 6-1 5-7 6-4
Libby Scott bt Danielle Feneridis
6-3 7-5
Etzel/Scott lt Preston/O’Connor 7-5 0-6 3-6
Nola/Harriman bt Stewart/Feneridis 6-1 7-6
Men:
Parnell 5 Blockhouse Bay 1
Matt Prentice bt Jackson Bodle 6-2 6-3
Andrew Batie bt Tim Meredith 3-6 6-3 6-1
Steve Downs lt Marc Paulik 6-3 3-6 2-6
Jacob Olsen bt Marco Comuzzo 6-2 6-3
Prentice/Downs bt Bodle/Comuzzo 6-2 7-6
Batie/Olsen bt Meredith Paulik 6-1 6-4
West End 3 (7 sets) Campbell Park 3 (6 sets)
Adam Thompson lt Gustavo Gomez 5-7 0-6
Mark Nielsen lt Mariano Pettigrosso walkover
Alistair Hunt bt Robbie Cheyne 6-4 6-4
Teo Susnjak bt Jamie Eccleton 6-2 6-2
Nielsen/Wesley Whitehouse lt Gomez/Pettigrosso 6-7 6-1 6-7
Hunt/James Greenhalgh bt Cheyne/Eccleton 7-6 6-3
