Wanganui focus on fifth spot

The Wanganui High School team, Peter Reid (left, manager), Kyle Butters, Michael Park, Sam Russell, Rebekah Butters-Chamberlain, Paris Butters and Gabrielle Hiri can only hope to finish fifth at best at the national Secondary Schools Tennis Championships in Hamilton today. Photo/Supplied

Wanganui High School can only hope to emulate last year's feat at best as they battle to finish fifth at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tennis Championships in Hamilton.

The unseeded WHS team, featuring Kyle Butters, Michael Park, Sam Russell, Rebekah Butters-Chamberlain, Paris Butters and Gabrielle Hiri, lost their first two rounds against strong sides on Monday and Tuesday morning.

That forced them into the play-offs for fifth to eighth on Tuesday afternoon.

On day one on Monday, against last year's winners and this season's second seeds, St Andrews College, Kyle Butters won his singles match and sister Paris teamed with Hiri to claim the girls' doubles. The remainder of the matches were lost as WHS went down 2-4 to St Andrews.

On Tuesday morning, Kyle Butters' singles win was the only victory in WHS' 1-5 loss to third seeds St Kentigern College from Auckland.

WHS made a solid start on Tuesday afternoon in the play-offs after singles wins by Kyle and Paris Butters and Hiri.

Team manager Peter Reid said while the entire team had "played their guts out", players from the larger centres proved too strong.

"Many of the larger schools have the luxury of professional full-time coaches. Some of the kids from these schools have lessons in the morning and then play tennis in the afternoons with their high-profile coaches and that makes it extremely difficult for schools in the smaller centres," Reid said yesterday.

The outcome of yesterday's play and finals day today will determine WHS's chances of matching last year's fifth placing.