Australian Teams Event
Australian Teams Event – David O’Keefe
In mid-January the Australian Teams Championships were held in Hobart Tasmania. David O’Keefe from the Oak Flats Tennis Club represented New South Wales in the 55 Men’s Competition in ‘a rag tag made up team’ put together by Rod Clarkin the NSW Tennis Seniors Vice President. Other members included Brad Middleton, Warren Dixon and Todd DeLeuw from Fairy Meadow. Teams played two matches per day with each match having a two hour match time limit. Queensland was the team to beat but David’s NSW team came out on top six sets to two to seize the victory and Australian Teams title.
Bob Morgan – NSW Team
Bob Morgan from the Kiama Tennis Club also represented NSW in the recent Australian Teams Championships at the week long carnival in January at Hobart.
In 2023 Bob Morgan won the Australian Oceania 80 Men’s Doubles with Herbie Chee from Mollymook.
The team comprised of eight players from various NSW locations, but mainly Sydney. Bob Morgan teamed up with Dennis Bindon and Alan Walsh (team captain) in most matches as No 1 pair. Other players included John Whitacker and John Davis. Mick Bruton former Tennis Seniors NSW President was non-playing captain.
The NSW 1 team asserted their authority from the first match against the ACT and never looked back, winning seven sets to one. All states were represented except South Australia and Victoria. NSW had two teams in the competitions with Bob’s No 1 team going through undefeated losing only two sets throughout the week long event. Solid wins against Tasmania, West Australia,
NSW 2 and the ACT set up a memorable victory for NSW in the 80 Men’s Open Division over W.A.
Vale Peter Toohey
Many of the long standing KSDTA players will recall Peter Toohey from Kiama as a junior player back in the 1960s competing in Night Competition teams and District Championships as well as representing KSDTA in Inter-District. Peter had been battling cancer for the past decade and sadly passed away in late March, aged 74 years.
Our thoughts are with his wife Rhonda and family.
Kiama Tennis Club Championships
The 63rd Championships were quite successful with Joe Mozeley taking out the Open Men’s singles final against new club member Phil Ross in an entertaining match.
Phil Ross and Matt Terentis turned the tables in the Men’s Doubles with a tight win against Dave Lehman and Joe Moseley. Veteran pair Karen Koks and Belinda Murphy showed all their experience in the Open Ladies’ doubles final to defeat newcomers Megan Minter and Dianne Fava 6/4 7/5.
The B Grade Mixed Doubles Round Robin was well supported seeing Helga Pimm and Ralph Szuleroski defeat Milton and Gail Gaynor.
The first Club Championships held in 1961 were won by Tom Brown (men’s singles) and Margaret Tozer in the Ladies. Club stalwart Norma Stead now in her 90s was the Ladies Champion in 1963 and 1964. Paul Summerside, now Head Tennis coach at Gerringong, took out the Men’s title from 1992 to 1996 before heading overseas to compete on the circuit and work in Germany and Asia as a coach. Other winners of the prestige singles have been Mark Manchur, Gwen Hinchliffe and Bjorn Meyers.
