The oldest player in Hawke's Bay's premier men's tennis competition, Simon Cowan, boasts the nickname "Mr Tennis".
It reflects Cowan's passion for the code including the amount of time he plays; at least four days each week during the summer and at least a couple during the winter. But Cowan, 61, pointed out he is still learning a trick or two off the younger players, as was the case on Saturday when he took on a player 47 years younger in Hawke's Bay under-14 representative Jacob Verhoeven during a fifth-round fixture at Napier's Onekawa courts.
"We were swapping ends and Jacob told me if I kept my water bottle in the shade of the net pole it would stay cooler longer. He was obviously feeling sorry for me," Cowan explained as he reflected on his 6-3, 6-3 singles loss, his first in the competition.
"Jacob was very consistent. I tried all of my tricks but was still outplayed ... I've got no complaints," Cowan said.
Tracta Team Kitching's No3 Cowan got his revenge when he combined with his captain Jason Kitching to beat Verhoeven and Rowe Light Team Cooper's captain Reuben Cooper 6-4, 6-0 in the top doubles match. This win was enough to keep Team Kitching one point ahead of Team Cooper at the bottom of the points table.