Tennis tactics to be unleashed

Sanity should return to the Wairarapa Tennis Association's regional one Gawith Shield competition tomorrow when semifinal matches are played.
Games in which defaults have occurred have been a regular happening this season, and a huge blot on what should be the flagship of the sport in the local region.
However, now that the business end of proceedings has arrived one assumes that will no longer be a problem with each of the semifinalists fielding a full complement of players.
At the end of the qualifying rounds it was Gladstone who topped the points table with 43, followed by Masterton 41, Pirinoa 39 and Martinborough 35.
On that basis you could be forgiven for thinking that Gladstone will start favourites to beat Martinborough in their semi and likewise Masterton to account for Pirinoa but providing each of the sides are at full strength - or at least close to it - it would be no surprise if the results were, in fact, the other way around.
This is particularly so in the Masterton v Pirinoa match as when Pirinoa have everybody on deck they are a formidable unit, formidable enough to have led the points table going into last weekend's final round of qualifying games when a shortage of available players forced them to default the entire match to wooden spooners Opaki. A situation which saw them drop from first to third on the seeding list.
The word is that one of the country's top-ranked juniors, Sade Atkinson, will combine with her equally talented sister Georgia in the women's section for Pirinoa tomorrow and that will be a major boost to their chances as it practically guarantees them two singles and one doubles victories.
For Masterton, then, the challenge will be to almost completely dominant the men's section and that could be a bridge too far for them if Pirinoa, as expected, have the likes of Luke Atkinson, Tim Pickering and Andy Darling - all experienced campaigners -leading the way there
But Masterton are a side who have already beaten the odds on more than one occasion this season and you can wager players such as Ian Jurcyluk, Matt Bunny, Brooke Candy and Zoe Paris will again be fighting to the bitter end. It is unlikely, however, that sheer persistence will be enough for overall success.
Gladstone warmed up for their semi against Martinborough with a narrow 5-4 win over Masterton last weekend. From all accounts longtime Wairarapa rep Baden Stevenson could be returning to the side this weekend and his presence would be a huge help while Chris Schofield, Alistair McWilliam, Angus Preston and Natasha Robinson all have the the nous to handle the pressures of semifinal action.
Martinborough aren't without their share of astute tacticians either, with Marco de Groot, Bunny, Dan Nicholson and Rhona Lovell all falling into that category.
A Gladstone win is the expected result but there should be little in it.