Hurley, Sweeney turn tables on rivals

The tables were turned when Jono Hurley and Leanne Sweeney won the men's and women's singles titles at the Wairarapa closed tennis championships, which were finalised at the Masterton Tennis Centre on Wednesday night.
The last time Hurley had met his opponent, Baden Stevenson, in a Wellington inter-club match Stevenson had scored a shock victory while Sweeney had met her rival, Katie Wyeth, just a week or so previously and lost in a gruelling three setter.
On this occasion, however, Hurley and Sweeney were in total control, Hurley showing devastating form in sweeping aside Stevenson 6-0, 6-0 and Sweeney beating Wyeth 6-1, 6-3.
The result of the Hurley-Stevenson clash would suggest it was all one-way traffic but it was more a case of Hurley getting his power game into action early in the piece and maintaining the pressure all the way through than Stevenson playing badly. There were some lengthy rallies but inevitably it was Hurley who came up with the winning shot.
The women's final saw Sweeney, a former Central Districts representative, whose appearances on the club scene have been spasmodic over the past couple of seasons, show greater consistency than Wyeth, who made a number of unforced errors.
All four finalists will be part of the Wairarapa senior team which will play Manawatu this Sunday.
Hurley and Stevenson will be at numbers one and two in the men's singles order, followed by Luke Atkinson, Geoff Janse, Mike Jackson and Geoff McKay.
Wyeth heads the women's singles line-up and then will come Ashleigh Gane, Leanne Sweeney, Rosie Aitkenhead and Natasha Robinson, with one still to be named at the time this article was penned.
Wairarapa and Manawatu clashed at the inter-provincial quintrangular tournament a few weeks back with Wairarapa winning on a countback and selector Steve Hurley is anticipating another close contest.
"They (Manawatu) have good depth amongst their women and will be looking to dominate there. If we can pick up two or three matches in that section our men just might get us home," he said.
Christie Cup holders Taranaki were scheduled to play Wairarapa in Masterton the following weekend but Hurley confirmed today they have pulled the plug because a lack of team members able to make the trip.
It's a decision which greatly disappoints Hurley, who could have made life difficult for Taranaki by forcing them to play, even if it meant bringing a weakened squad.
But he has decided against taking such a move on the basis that if Wairarapa were to win the Christie Cup they would want to do it with both teams being at full strength
"It is frustrating not to have a Cup challenge but we'll just have to take it on the chin,' he said.