Tennis: No substitute for experience

Prue Farnworth and Quentin Maisey celebrate their 65-plus mixed doubles title win yesterday. Photo / Duncan Brown

There wasn't a prize for the best substitute at the New Zealand Veterans Tennis Championships prizegiving in Napier last night.

If there was, Hawke's Bay's Prue Farnworth would have been hard to beat. Farnworth, 68, only intended to be a spectator at the five-day event played at the Greendale, Hawke's Bay Lawn and Nelson Park clubs.

However, when a player tournament organisers had arranged to partner Penny Molnar from Nelson was forced to withdraw, Farnworth reluctantly accepted a late invite.

"It had been at least seven years since I played at this level. I hadn't met Penny before so I wasn't surprised we lost both of our matches, the first one in straight sets and the second one in three," Farnworth explained.

"I mean the only tennis I play these days is a bit of business house and a friendly once a week."

Those appearances weren't the end of the Hawke's Bay Lawn club player's substitute duties. Western Bay of Plenty's multiple national champion and regular New Zealand representative Quentin Maisey was on the hunt for a mixed doubles partner after fellow international Sandy Tritt of Waikato withdrew with a knee injury.

Farnworth, who was ranked among the country's top 10 women's squash players in 1976, again enhanced the Bay's reputation as perfect hosts. Maisey and Farnworth won all three of their matches, including yesterday's final against Molnar and her husband Steve 6-2, 6-7, 6-0.

"I tightened up horribly in the final because I didn't want to let Quentin down. I just didn't play my natural game ... fortunately we got there because I know Quentin would have won with Sandy," Farnworth said.

"We'll celebrate with a dinner and bubbly tonight and I'll be back on the court for our weekly friendly tomorrow."

Considering her success this week Farnworth could be in demand as a partner for next year's nationals.

"I'll wait and see what's happening closer to the time of next year's tournament before deciding whether or not I will play," Farnworth added.

Maisey had earlier captured the 65-plus men's singles title.

Havelock North's Cathy Clarkson saved three match points before she was beaten 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 by the top-seeded Aucklander Marion Mills in their 60-plus singles final. The unseeded Clarkson did well to reach the final and eliminated the second and fourth seeds in the process.

Her clubmate and long-serving New Zealand rep Margaret Hall was a beaten finalist in the 75-plus mixed doubles.

Anybody wondering exactly how serious the 166 player-nationals is only needs to take note of Japanese visitor Noriji Kataoke's win in the 75-plus men's singles final against Whanganui's Relyn Hooper.

Kataoke won 6-0, 6-0.

Western Bay of Plenty's 70-plus player Dave Hawkes will travel home with 42 national titles on his CV after wins in all three of his finals.