Junior helps strike team gold

Crack Wairarapa junior Sade Atkinson was an integral part of the Tennis Central squad which won the gold medal in the teams event at the national 16-years hardcourt championships held in Christchurch last week. ... For good measure she won the consolation plate singles too.
Central's dominance in their six-team competition is evidenced by the points table which shows them finishing on 31 points, well ahead of second-placed Canterbury on 23. Then came Auckland, 22, Southern, 19, Northern, 8 and Waikato-Bays, 2.
Atkinson was seeded 14th in the singles and started with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Alexandra Howe before being beaten by fourth seed Carli Davis 2-6, 3-6.
That left her playing in the consolation plate and she won all three games there, beating seventh seed Deanna Haami 6-4, 6-2, 11th seed Bridget Liddell 6-2, 2-6, 10-4 (tiebreaker) and 12th seed Brogan Moate 6-2, 6-3.
There was notable success for Atkinson in the doubles too, where she and partner Saravinder Paanu reached the semifinals of the main championship.
They beat Jessica Hughson and Lauren Taylor-Harwood 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 (tiebreaker) and Toni Katapa and Abby Sykes 6-3, 6-2 before losing to top seeds and eventual title winners Leela Beattie and Bridget Liddell 1-6, 3-6.
Earlier in the month Atkinson contested the national 14-years hardcourt championships in Auckland and there too she was a key member of the Tennis Central squad which placed second behind Northern in the teams event.
Northern, which beat Central 4-2 in the final round, finished on 38 points, followed by Central, 33, Auckland, 20, Canterbury, 15, Southern, 12 and Waikato-Bays, 2.
In the singles competition Atkinson was placed eighth, beating Iva Rancic 6-1, 6-1 and Chezle Phillips 6-2, 6-3 before losing to Andrea Djokovic 5-7, 1-6 and Gabriella Coates also 5-7, 1-6.