Wildebeest make Uvongo tourney tennis gnus
The popular tournament attracted local and visiting players alike.
In tennis, there’s more than one way to win a point.
You can hit it with supersonic speed like Braam de Villiers and Bjorn Wikstrom or slice and dice it like Augustine Tugli.
Some players enjoy keeping the rally going; others can’t resist the glory shots – satisfying when they come off, frustrating when they don’t.
All these skills were on display at the Uvongo Tennis Club Veteran’s Tournament, which was dominated by the Wildebeest team.
They finished clear winners, with victories over the Warthogs, Vultures and Hornbills.
Margate Retirement Village was the sponsor, with CEO Andrew Crookes on hand to congratulate the winners at prize-giving.
The teams of eight were split into two divisions, with seedings playing their opposite number with each of the other players in the team, respectively.
Matches were decided over nine games, with the ninth game a standard tie-breaker after each player had served twice.
The format was a normal round robin, with total number of games all important.
Players came from around the province to take part. There was wonderful camaraderie throughout the two days, with all the regular chirps and banter going on.
The weather played the game, too and with Uvongo’s traditionally warm hospitality, it was an event enjoyed by all.
For the record, the Wildebeest beat the Vultures 60-48 in the opening session, then beat the Warthogs 74-34 on Saturday afternoon and rounded things off with a convincing 69-39 win over the Hornbills on Sunday morning.
TEAMS
Wildebeest: Braam de Villiers, Johan van Niekerk, Liesl Smith, Ronel Botha (captain), André Hofman, David Crouch, Cathy Kirton, David Rush.
Vultures: Wayne Manning, Gevaar Nompuku, Simone Hattingh, Pippa Hopkins (captain), Rod Hackland, Gavin Bean, Vuyo Logongulo, Augustine Tugli.
Hornbills: Bjorn Wikstrom, Mark Hannaway, Kerry Gillham, Cheryse Wikstrom (captain), Brendan Els, Mike Volck, Renee Purtell, Robert Kelly.
Warthogs: Trevor Small, Steve du Plessis, Sarah Collinge, Sharon van der Schyff (captain), Lucky Mapekula, Rob van der Schyff, Maxine Mackay-Coghill, Herman Ehlers.
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