Hooper on a high ‘Down Under’
The former South Coaster has kept his game in top working order.
WHEN it comes to his results on the tennis court, Allen Hooper seems to be getting better with age. Like a fine wine. Except that in this case it would be an Australian wine, as he emigrated there about 15 years ago.
“He is still pretty agile on the court and gets his opposition every time with those drop shots,” said his wife Linda, former editor of the South Coast Herald.
Allen is now ranked eighth in singles in Australia in his age group (65 to 70). However, after his latest win, he will probably get an even better ranking.
The ITF only updates the rankings once a month, so he will have to wait and see.
While on the South Coast, Allen played much of his tennis at Southbroom, where, inevitably, his brother Mark made him run around more than he would have liked!
Finals between the two brothers were always entertaining, especially if Allen snagged the first set.
Recently Linda had to visit Living Choice’s newest retirement village in Adelaide and it coincided with the South Australian State Seniors’ Championships.
“I twisted his arm to come and he won both the singles and the doubles in his age group. In the doubles, he played with Neville Rodwell from Canberra. There were players from NSW, Victoria, ACT and of course, South Australia,” said Linda.
In January, Allen will travel to the National Teams Championships to be held in Victoria, as a member of the Queensland team (65-70). It’s the third consecutive year that he will represent the state.
His golf is not too bad either and he is playing off an eight handicap (did someone say ringer?).
He recently played with his son Craig in a Nomads tournament and they came second. “Yes, they have Nomads here too, started in Australia by Wayne Richardson,” explained Linda.
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