Interclub 2026

A Grade

Nathan 8 vs. Jason 4

Interestingly, every player managed to win a singles, and in Nathan Cross's case, he won all three. Fletcher Phipps playing at number 3 had a good night. After just losing to Harry Speakman in four sets, he stormed back to beat Jason Kennedy in five sets and then went on to beat Peter Welsh by 13-11 in the fifth set. He also won both doubles. Rob Honour got in on the act with a four set win over Harry. Jason and Peter joined Harry on one win, with Jason and Harry winning their doubles match.

Ollie 7 vs. Graeme 5

Olli was joined by fill-in players Jacqui Wood and Peter Cowdrey, while Esteban Martinez filled in for Graeme's team. Ollie won his three singles without dropping a set. Jacqui joined him on three wins, showing good control in her first match against a tenacious Ray Zinsli and continued that on against Esteban and Graeme Jackson. Peter was playing in his first match for over two months, but managed to take sets from two of his opponents. Graeme, Esteban, and Ray shared the singles points while Ray was undefeated in doubles.

David 7 vs. Zac 5

Billy Hebberd led the way for David's team, with three singles wins, which included an 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10 win over Zac Cowdrey. Billy has an unorthodox style, which allows him great freedom to hit with his backhand. David Stephens won two singles, while the match between Marlborough's two leading girls went the way of Caitlin Exton against Cora Wilson. Zac won his two remaining singles, with Bradley Roberts also getting on the board. Cora was undefeated in doubles.

B Grade

Yunfei 7 vs. Gerry 5

Yunfei Wei was in good touch for his side, but had to come from sets down to beat Josh Burkhart and Gerry van Kuyk, both in five sets. The hard hitting Marcus Osborne joined Yunfei on three wins. Janice Thompsett won a doubles with Yunfei and came close to a singles win, just losing out to Vinny van Kuyk by 7-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. Interestingly, both players scored 44 points. Gerry, Josh and Vinny came away with a win each in the singles.

Lucy 4 vs. David 1 (2 player teams)

Dennis Burkhart won his three matches, all in four sets. Lucy Thom had a long night, just losing out to Ali Pottinger by 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 2-11, 11-9 before beating fill-in player David Smith 13-11 in the fifth set.

John 4 vs. Marion 1 (2 player teams)

John Diamanti's experience came through as he won his three matches. Young juniors Finnbar Duncan and Dean Toletino played pretty against him. Finnbar got his team on the board with a five set win over Levi van Kuyk.

A Grade

Nathan 7 vs. David 5

This was a really close contest as it was 5-5 before Fletcher Phipps won a cliff-hanger against Caitlin Exton by 13-15, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12 then Nathan Cross and Rob Honour beat David Stephens and Billy Hebberd in another five set thriller. Earlier Nathan had won two singles for his side with Fletcher joining him on two wins. David finished on two wins as did Billy. David played especially well in his win over Nathan.

Graeme 7 vs. Jason 5

Ray Zinsli has been a revelation at number 3 in this round and he got Graeme's team off to a good start with a win and finished the night with a five set win over fill-in player Supreya Prasertsakda by 11-8,11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 13-11. Graeme Jackson was his usual consistent self, picking up two wins while Lan Zhang won a single and was undefeated in doubles. Jason Kennedy ended on three wins, including tight four set win over Graeme. Supreya beat Lan in five sets and combined with Jason for a doubles win.

Zac 7 vs. Ollie 5 

As in the other two A Grade matches, this was 5-5 before Cora Wilson beat fill-in player Rohan Saini by 4-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12 and then Zac Cowdrey and Bradley Roberts beat Ollie Phipps and Kylie Hurren in four sets to get the win. Earlier, Zac and Bradley had won two singles each for their side with Bradley also being undefeated in doubles. Ollie was undefeated in singles and again showed what an intelligent player he is. In his match against Zac, he had to deal with a barrage which included drop shots, sidespin loops and flat hits before eventually getting home by 11-3, 5-11, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12.

B Grade

Yunfei 10 vs. Lucy 2

Fill-in player David Smith had a great night, winning three singles and two doubles. His first match against Dennis Burkhart was a thriller with David taking it by 11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10. Yunfei Wei joined David on three singles wins but was taken to five sets by Dennis. Dennis won a single and combined with Lucy Thom for a doubles win.

Gerry 4 vs. Marion 8 (including 5 by default)

Gerry van Kuyk won 2 from 3 with Josh Burkhart also getting on the board in singles. The two players combined for a doubles win. Marion Wood won both of her singles. Finnbar Duncan almost had two wins as well, just losing out to Gerry in five sets.

John 6 vs. Steve 6

A Grade

Nathan 6 (22 matches) vs. Zac 6 (21 matches)

Nathan was again in superb touch for his side, winning his three singles without dropping a set. Rob Honour picked up two wins, which included an 8-11, 11-4, 14-12, 8-11, 11-9 win over Zac Cowdrey. Fletcher Phipps was close to getting on the board in singles and won a vital doubles match with Nathan. Bradley Roberts won two singles for Zac's side and was undefeated in doubles. Cora Wilson beat Fletcher in four sets, before Bradley and Zac won the last doubles.

Graeme 9 vs. David 3

The scoreline doesn't reflect the closeness of the matches, as Graeme's team won five matches in the deciding set, one of them being Graeme's win over David by 8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 14-12, 11-5. It was that close that David was only a point away from winning it in the fourth set. Ray Zinsli started things off with a five set win over fill-in player Rohan Saini, making few unenforced errors. Lan Zhang beat Caitlin Exton in five sets. David won his remaining two singles, while Rohan did well to beat Lan after being two sets down.

Jason 10 (5 by default) vs. Ollie 2

Due to unavoidable player unavailability, Lucy Thom stepped up from the B Grade to join Ollie Phipps in a two player team against Harry Speakman, Peter Welsh and Supreya Prasertsakda. Of the seven matches played on the table, the five set matches were Harry's win over Ollie by 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6,12-10 and Peter's win over Lucy by 11-3, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9. Ollie won his two other singles.

B Grade

Marion 9 vs. Yunfei 3

Young junior, Finnbar Duncan, had a great performance for Marion's team picking up three wins with his left handed attacking shots working well. Marion Wood won two singles, while Barbara Burkhart just got past Janice Thompsett in a five setter. Yunfei Wei won two from three for his side, while Marcus Osborne also got on the board.

David Smith 8 vs. Gerry 4

Dean Toletino, playing his first interclub match, impressed with his attacking play and was rewarded with two singles wins. Fellow fill-in player David Smith also picked up two wins and did regular Ali Pottinger. Steve Rowsell, filling in for Gerry van Kuyk, came away with three singles wins, but had to work hard to beat Dean and Ali in five sets. Regulars Josh Burkhart and Hilary Wood won a doubles match in five sets.

John 4 vs. Dennis 1

This was a two player team match as both teams had player unavailability. John Diamanti and Levi van Kuyk beat Dennis Burkhart and Ellie van Kuyk 3-1 in singles and won the doubles.

A Grade

Nathan 8 v Ollie 4

This was closer than the score indicates as Nathan's team won four out of the five matches that went to a deciding set. Nathan won his three singles with his match with Ollie Phipps having the crowd enthralled. Ollie took the first two sets with his normal style of play, before Nathan came back to take the next three. The deciding set saw Nathan defend magnificently, and at one point his lobbing was straight out of Matt Millar's correspondence course. Nathan finally took it by 7-11, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-9. Rob Honour and Fletcher Phipps won two singles each and combined for a doubles win. Ollie won his two remaining singles and a doubles win with Kylie in the last match of the night. This was a good reward for Kylie, who had lost tight matches against Rob and Fletcher.

Zac 7 v Graeme 5

This went down to the last doubles match when Zac Cowdrey and Bradley Roberts beat Graeme Jackson and Lan Zhang. Earlier, Zac had won his three singles but he had to pull out all the stops as his three opponents all took him to five sets. Bradley Roberts backed him up with two wins, with his varied spin serves being very effective. Cora Wilson won a doubles with Bradley and played a great match against Lan. She hit the ball very hard to win the third set, before Lan took it in four. Graeme won his two remaining singles while Ray Zinsli also got on the board. These two players then combined for a doubles win.

Jason 7 (5 by default)  v David 5

Due to unavoidable player unavailability, David's team had to default five matches. Of the matches played on the table, David Stephens came through with three singles wins and combined with Caitlin Exton for a doubles win. Caitlin beat Peter Welsh in five sets, lost to Jason Kennedy in four and just lost out to Rohan Saini by 11-13, 9-11, 11-7, 14-12, 12-10.

B Grade

Lucy 9 v Gerry 3

Lucy Thom  and Dennis Burkhart were unbeaten in singles but had to win five set matches to do so.  Lucy beat the ever-improving  Hilary Wood by 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 while Dennis beat Gerry van Kuyk 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8. Ellie van Kuyk played well in the doubles. For Gerry's team, Josh Burkhart joined Gerry and Hilary on one win.

John 10 v Yunfei 2

John Diamanti dominated the contest with five matches and didn't drop a set in his singles matches. Levi van Kuyk also went well in the singles. Vinny van Kuyk beat Janice Thompsett in five sets in the last single of the night. Yunfei Wei got his team on the board in singles while Janice and Marcus Osborne picked up a doubles win.

Marion 10 v Steve 2

Marion was in great touch for her team, with three wins. Finnbar Duncan was also unbeaten, doing well to come back from a set down to beat Steve Rowsell in five sets, Barbara Burkhart won two doubles and a singles. Ali Pottinger joined Steve on one win while Oscar Duncan was the only player to take a set from Marion.

The round played on 9 July produced three 6-all scorelines.

A Grade

David 6 (21 games) v Ollie 6 (18 games)

David's team took the singles 5-4, with none of the nine matches going past the third set. David Stephens and Billy Hebberd won two singles for their side. Caitlin Exton won the last singles of the night. Ollie Phipps was in good form for his side, winning all five of his matches, which included doubles wins with Kylie Hurren and David Foley. Kylie also picked up a singles win.

Graeme 9 v Nathan 3

Nathan's team were missing their top two players but fill-in players Ken Thompsett (2 singles) and Supreya Prasertsakda (1) got the team on the board. Graeme didn't drop a set in his singles matches. Lan Zhang won two singles which included a 10-12, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 over Supreya in a match with many attacking shots. Ray Zinsli won a single over the well-performed  Fletcher Phipps and played a big part in the team's clean sweep of the doubles.

Jason 11 v Zac 1 

Jason Kennedy, Harry Speakman and Peter Welsh were all in exceptional form as they took the singles 8-1 against Zac's team, who were missing their number two player. Zac Cowdrey got his side on the board, beating Peter in four sets.

B Grade

John 6 (22 games 413 points) v Gerry 6 (22 games 393 points)

John's team finally came out on top, taking the doubles 3-0 after they lost the singles 6-3. This was the second time this season that a team has won after losing the singles by that margin. John Diamanti won two singles for his team. Levi van Kuyk won a single and almost made it two, just losing out to Hilary Wood by 11-6, 4-11, 6-11, 13-11, 12-10. Vinny van Kuyk played a big part in a five set doubles win with John. Gerry van Kuyk gained three wins for his side, with Hilary winning two. Josh Burkhart won the first single of the night.

Marion 6 (25 games) v Lucy 6 (22 games)

This was another thriller which went down to the last doubles match with Marion Wood and Finnbar Duncan beating Lucy Thom and Dennis Burkhart in four sets. Earlier, Lucy had won three singles for her side, but was pushed all the way by Finnbar, in a five setter. The consistent Dennis gained two wins with Ellie van Kuyk winning a doubles with Lucy. Marion won two matches for her side with Finnbar and Barbara Burkhart also getting on the board.

Yunfei 9 v David 3

Marcus Osborne was in top form for Yunfei's side. In his first match, he overcame a good come back from David Smith to get home in five sets. Yunfei won two singles with Janice Thompsett winning the last singles of the night. Ali Pottinger won two singles from three starts with David also getting a win.

A Grade

Jason 6 (25 games) vs. Nathan 6 (22 games)

This was a fantastic contest with the score at 6-5 to Nathan's team before Jason Kennedy and Harry Speakman beat Nathan Cross and Rob Honour in straight sets to get the win on a countback. Earlier Jason had won two singles for his side, with Harry and Peter Welsh winning one each. Nathan was undefeated for his team but he had to overcome a spirited fightback from Harry, to get home in five sets. Fletcher Phipps was playing some great stuff as well, firstly in beating Harry and then just getting past Peter 12-10 in the fifth set.

David 6 (25 games) vs. Zac 6 (23 games)

This was another tight finish. David Stephens won two singles for his team with Billy Hebberd and Caitlin Exton also getting on the scoreboard. Caitlin was undefeated in doubles. Zac Cowdrey was undefeated in singles, but had to work hard to beat Caitlin in five sets in the first batch of matches. Fill-in player Rohan Saini showed good technique on the forehand to come away with two wins.

Graeme 8 vs. Ollie 4 

Unfortunately, Ollie's team had to default two matches as one player picked up an injury during the matches. Graeme Jackson and Ray Zinsli won two singles each for their side with Lan Zhang winning one of her two singles. Ollie Phipps was in good touch for his side, winning three singles while David Foley got on the board in doubles.

B Grade

John 6 (23 games) vs. Marion 6 (22 games)

This went down to the last doubles with John Diamanti and Levi van Kuyk beating Marion Wood and Finnbar Duncan in four sets to get the win. John was undefeated in singles, but had to work hard to beat Finnbar in five sets as Finnbar had come back from two sets down. The fourth singles point came from a win by Levi van Kuyk. Marion and Finnbar won two each for their team. Barbara Burkhart won the sixth point for Marion's team by just outlasting Vinny van Kuyk 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 10-12, 17-15 in a five set thriller.

Yunfei 6 (24 games) vs. Gerry 6 (21 games)

Two tables down, another close contest was taking place. Yunfei Wei  was in good touch as he picked  up three wins with some good forehand play. Marcus  Osborne came away with two wins while Janice Thompsett got the team off to a good start with a very close win over Josh Burkhart. The three singles points came from Gerry van Kuyk with two and one from Hilary Wood. Josh played a big part in the clean sweep of the doubles.

Lucy 9 vs. Steve 3

Dennis Burkhart was "on fire" for Lucy's team, not dropping a set in his three singles wins. Lucy Thom won two singles and had to come back from two sets down to beat Ali Pottinger. The last singles of the night saw Ellie van Kuyk beat Oscar Duncan by 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 17-15 with both juniors hitting the ball to all parts of the table. Steve Rowsell won two singles for his side with Ali also getting on the board.

A Grade

Jason 8 vs. Graeme 4

The whole contest was pretty close with Jason's team benefiting from winning the three 5 setters. Harry Speakman again showed his attacking skills with three wins, including an 11-7, 11-5, 11-13, 5-11, 11-9 win over the well-performed Graeme Jackson. Jason Kennedy had to work hard for his three wins. He needed 5 sets to get the better of Lan Zhang and played his usual five set match against Graeme, just getting home 15-13 in the deciding set. Graeme, Lan, and Ray Zinsli shared the singles points for their team with Lan and Ray winning a doubles match.

Nathan 7 vs. David 5

Unusually, all six players managed to get on the board in singles. There was another outstanding performance from Nathan Cross, who won his three singles matches without dropping a set. Rob Honour had to battle hard  for his five set wins over Billy Hebberd and Caitlin Exton, but he attacked well at vital times to get the wins. Fletcher Phipps, playing in his second match in A Grade, lost in five setters to Billy and Caitlin but produced some great flat hitting in his match against David Stephens, before finally winning it by 11-9, 12-10, 10-12, 7-11, 11-5. David, Billy, and Caitlin shared the three singles points  while Billy was undefeated in doubles.

Zac 6 (22 games 381 points) vs. Ollie 6 (22 games 374 points)

This was a fantastic contest as the result was only confirmed after a countback of points. Zac Cowdrey worked hard for his two wins and took Ollie Phipps to five sets. Bradley Roberts played well, showing his service skills and follow-up attacks to get two singles wins and was undefeated in doubles. Cora Wilson won a vital doubles match with Bradley. Ollie was undefeated in singles with Kylie Hurren and fill-in player Rohan Saini also getting on the board.

B Grade

Yunfei 6 (21 matches 398 points) vs. Lucy 6 (21 matches 394 points)

This was another contest that required a points countback. Yunfei Wei and Marcus Osborne won the last doubles in straight sets over Lucy Thom and Dennis Burkhart to ultimately get the win. Earlier, Yunfei had won his three singles. Marcus got on the board in singles as did Janice Thompsett. Janice had a great match with junior player Ellie van Kuyk, with both players firing shots to the corners of the table. Janice took it by 8-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 13-11. Lucy and Dennis won two singles each for their side, with Ellie being  undefeated in doubles.

Marion 9 vs. Gerry 3

Marion Wood and Finnbar Duncan, two left handers, were undefeated in singles and combined for a doubles win. Barbara Burkhart also had a good night, picking up two singles wins. Gerry van Kuyk got his team on the board in singles while Hilary Wood picked up doubles wins with Gerry and Josh Burkhart.

John 6 vs. Rohan 6

Start of the second round with new teams.

A Grade 

Jason 10 vs. Ollie 2

There was a brilliant performance from Harry Speakman playing at number 2. He won his three singles, which included an 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9 win over the well-performed Ollie Phipps. Jason Kennedy won two singles and nearly made it three, just losing out to Ollie in a five setter. Peter Welsh also picked up two wins, which included a win  in the fifth set by 18-16 over Kylie Hurren. Ollie won the points for his side.

Graeme 6 (23 games) vs. David 6 (21 games)

Graeme Jackson led the way with three comfortable wins for his side. Lan Zhang got on the board with a close win over Marlborough's top junior girl, Caitlin Exton. Ray Zinsli, playing in his first A Grade match, wom both of his doubles matches and took Caitlin to five sets. David Stephens and Billy Hebberd won two each for their side and combined for a doubles win.

Nathan 6 (21 games) vs. Zac 6  (19 games)

This was another close contest. Nathan Cross was in good touch with some solid play, coupled with powerful forehands. Rob Honour and Fletcher Phipps won one each with Nathan and Fletcher winning their doubles match. Zoe and Bradley shared four singles points for their team. Cora Wilson, playing in her first A Grade match, won a doubles match with Bradley.

B Grade

John 9 vs. Lucy 3

The scoreline doesn't really reflect the closeness of this match, with John's team benefiting from 3 five set wins. John Diamanti was undefeated in singles, but had to work hard for his three wins, which included five set victories over Dennis Burkhart and Lucy Thom. Fill-in player Steve Rowsell also finished the night unbeaten. Vinny van Kuyk chipped in with a singles win and a doubles win. Lucy came away with one win, but it was very close to being 2 or 3. Dennis Burkhart got on the board in singles and won a doubles with Ellie van Kuyk.

Rohan 8 vs. Gerry 4

Rohan Saini showed plenty of skill, winning his three singles comfortably. Ali Pottinger came away with two wins, while Oscar Duncan played a big part in the clean sweep of the doubles. Gerry van Kuyk won two singles for his side, with Josh Burkhart and Hilary Wood, one each. Hilary beat Oscar 15-13, 11-4, 13-15, 11-9 in a very entertaining match

Marion 10 (5 by default) vs. Yunfei 2

Of the matches played on the table, Marion Wood won two from two, with Finnbar Duncan and Barbara Burkhart winning one from two. Barbara and Marion won their doubles. Yunfei won two singles for his side.

The A Grade and B Grade titles were both decided in the last doubles of the night.

A Grade (Tarrant Cup)

Guernsey 6 (24 games) Springlands 6 (20)

After 11 matches, Springlands led 6 matches (20 games) to 5 matches (21 games) for Guernsey. Graeme Jackson and Bradley Roberts beat Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy in straight sets to win the match and ultimately, the Tarrant Cup.

Springlands took the singles 6-3. There was a brilliant performance from Zac Cowdrey as he won his three singles. Zac played the power game but also displayed some brilliant touches over the table, especially in a four set win over Graeme.

Jason was his usual consistent self, winning two singles and playing an incredible first set against Graeme, which went to 21-19. Springlands' sixth point came from a singles win to Lan Zhang.

Bradley and Rob Honour came from 2-1 down to win their doubles 3-2, which was the start of a doubles clean sweep. In singles, Graeme won his remaining two singles, with Bradley also getting on the board.

A Grade (Third Place)

Waterlea 7 Kiwi 5

A clean sweep of the doubles helped Waterlea to the win. Ollie Phipps added three singles wins with Billy Hebberd winning the first match of the night. As usual, Esteban Martinez was right in the thick of things, just losing out to Jacqui Wood and Caitlin Exton in five setters.

David Stephens, filling in for Nathan Cross, joined Jacqui on two wins.

The match between Arawa and Tua Marina was cancelled.

B Grade (Final)

Renwick 6 (26 games) Blenheim 6 (21 games)

As in the A Grade Final, the team that was leading with one match to go lost the overall contest. Gerry van Kuyk and Cora Wilson beat Ray Zinsli and Yunfei Wei in the last match. Earlier, Gerry had won two singles. Cora joined him with two wins and came very close to a third, just losing out to Ray by 11-2, 12-10, 14-16, 8-11, 12-10 which maintained Ray's 100% singles record. Ali Pottinger won a vital doubles match with Cora. Yunfei and Hilary Wood won a single each to go with Ray's three wins. The sixth point came from a doubles win to Ray and Hilary.

B Grade (Third Place)

Wairau Valley 7 Ward 5

Wairau Valley took the doubles 3-0. Earlier, there were some great performances from Lucy Thom and Finnbar Duncan in the singles. They each won two singles and gave opposition number 1 John Diamanti some tough matches.

For Ward, John ended the round on a high, winning his three singles, with Marcus and Ellie van Kuyk also getting on the board. In Marcus's case he came desperately close to a second win just losing out in tight five setters to Lucy and Finnbar.

The teams of Fairhall and Spring Creek were put into two player teams.

Marion Wood/Levi van Kuyk beat David Foley/Vinny van Kuyk 3-2

Fletcher Phipps/Oscar Duncan beat David/Vinny 3-2

Marion/Levi beat Fletcher/Oscar 3-2.

The semi-finals of the A and B Grades were played on Thursday.

A Grade

Springlands 8 Waterlea 4 

Springlands qualified fourth and were up against the hitherto unbeaten Waterlea side. Jason Kennedy was in great touch, with his ability to hit through the ball coming to the fore. He finished the night with three singles wins, including an 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 win over Ollie Phipps, who has been in tremendous form this season. Zac Cowdrey had to work hard for his two singles wins while Lan Zhang also picked up two wins with some impressive topspin shots. Ollie was involved in all of his side's four points with two singles wins and two doubles wins. Esteban Martinez showed his continuing improvement as he took both Zac and Lan to five sets.

Guernsey 10 Kiwi 2

Graeme Jackson ended the night with five wins. He was his usual consistent self, showing good placement and was quick to counter hit with his forehand. Bradley Roberts' serve and forehand topspin was working well and he finished with two singles wins. Left-hander Rob Honour also picked up two wins, which included a win over Rohan Saini by 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 14-12, 13-11. Rohan was filling in for Nathan Cross and showed good technique and attacking intent. Jacqui Wood won the two points for her team.

In the match for 5th and 6th positions, Tua Marina beat Arawa 10-2. Ken Thompsett and Harry Speakman won all of their singles matches. Ken was steady throughout while Harry hit some thunderous winners and this carried on into their doubles match when they beat Kylie Hurren and Peter Welsh in five sets in a match where the lead changed hands many times. Fletcher Phipps, filling in for David Stephens, picked up two doubles wins and a singles win over Peter. Kylie and fill-in player Supreya Prasertsakda shared the points for Arawa.

B Grade

Blenheim 7 Wairau Valley 5

Blenheim were the top qualifiers from round-robin play but found themselves 5-4 down before taking the next three matches. Ray Zinsli continued his 100% winning run in singles but he was pushed all the way by young junior Finnbar Duncan before winning 8-11, 11-2, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6. Yunfei Wei won a single, but was involved in two epic five setters, just missing out by 11-7 in the deciding set to Finnbar and Peter Cowdrey. Hilary Wood won the sixth point for her team. Peter and Finnbar shared four of their team's points, with the fifth point coming from a doubles win from Finnbar and Ellie van Kuyk.

Renwick 6 (23 games) Ward 6 (22 games)

To coin a well-used phrase, this was a game of two halves. Renwick were leading 5-0 at one stage, which included wins by Levi van Kuyk over Barbara Burkhart, Ali Pottinger over John Diamanti, and Gerry van Kuyk over Marcus Osborne. Sensationally, Renwick took the next six matches, which included Marcus beating Levi, John beating Gerry and Barbara beating Ali. It all came down to the last doubles with Ward leading 6-5 and 22 games to 20. Gerry and Levi took the match 3-0 to get the win for Renwick.

In the match for 5th and 6th positions, Spring Creek beat Fairhall 8-4. David Foley had a good night being unbeaten in his five matches. Dennis Burkhart lost to Marion Wood in his first match, but came back strongly in his next two. Oscar Duncan played a big part in the team's clean sweep of the doubles. For Fairhall, Marion won two singles with Vinny van Kuyk and Josh Burkhart also getting on the board.

The last round of the round-robin play was held last Thursday, with the play-offs on 28 May.

A Grade

Guernsey 6 (23 games) Waterlea 6 (21 games)

This was a real see-saw match with Guernsey ahead 5-3, before Waterlea took the last three singles to lead 6-5. A straight sets win by Graeme Jackson and Bradley Roberts over Ollie Phipps and Billy Hebberd saw Guernsey get the win.

Earlier, Ollie had won three singles for his side showing excellent control with his pimpled rubber. Billy had to work hard for his five set wins over Bradley and Rob Honour and showed confidence in his backhand shots when the matches got tight.

The ever-improving Esteban Martinez won a single and showed some attacking intent. Graeme won two singles for his side with Bradley winning one. Rob was undefeated in doubles.

Kiwi 9 Arawa 3

Jacqui Wood and Nathan Cross were in top form in the singles, winning their matches in straight sets. Caitlin Exton played a great match with Kylie Hurren, with Kylie taking it by 12-10, 11-8, 3-11, 17-15. Caitlin attacked well, with Kylie using her experience to get through.

Peter Welsh and Supreya Prasertsakda (filling in for Matt Millar) also got on the board for Arawa. Interestingly, the doubles between Jacqui/ Caitlin and Kylie/ Supreya was probably the first time in many years that  four women had played an A Grade doubles match.

Springlands 8 Tua Marina 4

This was an intriguing match with four of Springlands points coming from five set victories. For Springlands, Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy won two singles with Lan Zhang winning one. David Stephens and Harry Speakman also won two singles for their side, so that four players ended on two wins, which is quite unusual, although it did happen in a B Grade match last week. Zac beat Harry in five sets and lost to David in four. Jason lost to Harry in four and beat David by 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-8 in an excellent match which pitted Jason's attacking shots against the very consistent and accurate play of David. Rohan Saini, filling in for Ken Thompsett, was playing his first A Grade match and looked right at home as he took Zac and Jason to five sets.

B Grade

Blenheim 6 (22 games) Fairhall 6 (20 games)

Blenheim's Ray Zinsli again was to the fore, picking up three singles wins to give him a 100% record in singles for the entire round. In his last match, he went up against talented youngster Fletcher Phipps. Ray took it by 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, managing to block a lot of Fletcher's topspin shots. Yunfei Wei picked up two wins, while Hilary Wood won a doubles with  Ray. Fletcher was undefeated in his two other singles matches, while Marion Wood and Vinny van Kuyk also got on the board. There was a tremendous match between Vinny and Hilary, with Vinny taking it by 15-17, 14-12, 11-9, 11-8. The leads through the games kept changing, with both players hitting some great angles.

Ward 7 Wairau Valley 5 

John Diamanti was in top form with three singles wins. Marcus Osborne picked up two wins, including a close five set win over Lucy Thom. Barbara Burkhart beat junior player Ellie van Kuyk by 6-11, 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, with both players hitting some good forehands. For Wairau Valley, Peter Cowdrey won two singles with Lucy picking up a singles and two doubles wins. Lucy and Ellie won their doubles match from two sets down.

Renwick 8 Spring Creek 4

Due to a change of circumstance, the Spring Creek side only had two players. Three of their four points came from wins by David Foley with Levi van Kuyk also getting on the board. Levi also went to five sets with Gerry van Kuyk and Cora Wilson.

Gerry also won a doubles with Ali Pottinger.

The play-offs are on Thursday 28 May.

Points: 

A Grade: Waterlea 41, Kiwi 39, Guernsey 38, Springlands 31, Tua Marina 29, Arawa 17

B Grade: Blenheim 40, Ward 37, Renwick 37, Wairau Valley 31, Fairhall 30, Spring Creek 20

The penultimate round of round robin matches was held on 14 May.

A Grade

Kiwi 7 Springlands 5

Jacqui Wood led the way with three singles. Nathan Cross backed her up with two wins but had to work hard to get the better of Jason Kennedy in a tough five setter. Nathan almost made it three wins, just losing out to Zac Cowdrey in another five set thriller. Catilin Exton was excellent value in the doubles. Jason took Jacqui to a deciding set and she ended on another good note with a doubles win with Nathan. Lan Zhang won the last singles of the night.

Guernsey 7  Tua Marina 5

It was 5 starts and 5 wins for Graeme Jackson, which helped his side to the win. He had to use his skills to beat David Stephens and Harry Speakman, both in four sets. Bradley Roberts picked up a singles win and kicked off a clean sweep of the doubles when he combined with Rob Honour. David and Harry each won their remaining two singles. Supreya Prasertsaka, filling in for Ken Thompsett, won the last single of the night.

Waterlea 9 Arawa 3

The regular line-up of Ollie Phipps, Billy Hebberd and Esteban Martinez got the win, with two of the matches being decided in the fifth. The first match of the night saw Esteban beat Kylie Hurren 11-8 in the fifth. The second five setter was Ollie and Billy's win over Kylie and Matt Pigou in the last match of the night. Matt was playing his first inter-club match of the season and he looked sharp with some good attacking play, which brought him three wins.

B Grade

Renwick 8 Wairau Valley 4

Ali Pottinger played a big part in Renwick's win as he won two doubles, each in five sets and won the last singles of the night. Earlier Gerry van Kuyk and Cora Wilson had won two singles each. Interestingly, Wairau Valley's Peter Cowdrey and Finnbar Duncan also won two singles, with Peter beating  Gerry and losing in the fifth to Cora, while Finnbar beat Cora and lost to Gerry.

Fairhall 9 Spring Creek 3

Fletcher Phipps was in good touch as he ended the night with five wins. His hardest match was against fellow junior Levi van Kuyk, which was a close four setter. The consistent play of Marion Wood saw her finish with two wins while Vinny van Kuyk won the last singles of the night to go with his two doubles wins. David Foley won two of his side's points with the third point coming from Levi's win over Vinny.

Blenheim 9 Ward 3

A clean sweep of the doubles helped Blenheim to the win. Ray Zinsli was untroubled in his singles matches. Yunfei Wei gained two wins, including a win in the fifth by 11-9 over the returning John Diamanti. Hilary Wood beat Barbara Burkhart by 11-8 in the deciding set. Marcus Osborne won two singles for Ward, including a five set win over Yunfei. John won the first point for his side, with a 12-10 win in the fifth over Hilary.

The third round of inter-club was held on 7 May.

A Grade

Guernsey 6 (24 games)  Springlands 6 (23 games)

What a cliff-hanger this was! It all came down to the last doubles where Guernsey's Graeme Jackson and Bradley Roberts had to avoid a 3-0 defeat to win on the countback. Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy took the first two sets before the Guernsey players won the next two sets before Springlands won the fifth by 11-9. Earlier Graeme had won his three singles, which included an 11-4, 11-13, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5 win over Zac, with both players showing their skills. Bradley won a single and a doubles while Rob Honour again excelled in his two doubles matches, complementing his partners well. For his side, Zac won his remaining two singles in tight matches. Jason had a good night with two straight set wins. Lan Zhang also got on the scoreboard.

Waterlea 8 Kiwi 4 

Ollie Phipps led the way with 5 wins in total. Marlborough's top junior showed his wide range of skills, including drop shots and some tremendous retrieving from the back wall, when the points seemed lost. Billy Hebberd won two singles but had to work hard to beat Caitlin Exton in four sets. Caitlin really took the game to Billy, with some intelligent serving to set up her attacking shots. Esteban Martinez continues to improve with every outing and picked up a singles and a doubles win. Nathan Cross attacked well to win two singles for Kiwi and combined with Caitlin for a doubles win. Fill-in player Chris Hood won Kiwi's fourth point.

Tua Marina 10 Arawa 2

Ken Thompsett, David Stephens and Harry Speakman won the singles 9-0. For Arawa, Kylie Hurren picked up doubles wins with Peter Welsh  and Ping Muanwong. Ping was filling in for Matt Millar and nearly got on the board in singles, just losing out in a five setter to David.

B Grade

Blenheim 6 (23 games) Renwick 6 (20 games)

This was a close contest with all 6 players getting a win. Ray Zinsli won his three singles for Blenheim. In his first match , he beat under-13 player Cora Wilson by the extraordinary score of 11-9. 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9. Yunfei Wei won a single while the steady play of Hilary Wood earned her a win in both singles and doubles. Cora won her two remaining singles for her side and was undefeated in doubles. Gerry van Kuyk gained two wins from the number one position while Ellie van Kuyk won a doubles with Cora.

Ward 7 Fairhall 5

The teams were locked at 4 all with one round of singles and a doubles to be played. The last round saw Marcus Osborne beat Marion Wood 11-8 in the fifth, Rohan Saini beat Fletcher Phipps 11-7 in the deciding set with Barbara Burkhart holding off a spirited comeback from Vinny van Kuyk to win 14-12, also in the fifth. Rohan was undefeated in singles, on the night. Marcus ended with two wins while Barbara also added a doubles win. For Fairhall, Fletcher won his two remaining singles. Marion was undefeated in doubles which included  a five set win with Vinny.

Wairau Valley 8 Spring Creek 4

A clean sweep of the doubles helped Wairau Valley beat Spring Creek. Earlier Lucy Thom had impressed with two singles wins. Young left-hander Finnbar Duncan  also went well for two wins, hitting some stylish forehands. Peter Cowdrey won a single. David Foley was unbeaten in singles for Spring Creek , with Dennis Burkhart also getting in on the act.

The second round of inter-club was played last Thursday.

A Grade

Kiwi 7 bt. Tua Marina 5

Nathan Cross led the way for the Kiwi team, winning his three singles all in straight sets. His all round game was working well as were his spin serves. Jacqui Wood won two singles and had to work hard to beat Harry Speakman by 12-10, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8.

Caitlin Exton tried hard all night and was rewarded when she combined with Jacqui for a five set doubles win. For Tua Marina, the hardworking Davd Stephens won two singles with Harry and Ken Thompsett also getting on the board.

Waterlea 6 (25 games) bt. Springlands 6 (22 games)

This was a great contest with the result coming down to the last doubles. In that match Ollie Phipps and Billy Hebberd beat Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy in straight sets to give Waterlea the win. Earlier, Ollie had won his singles, in another consistent display. Billy Hebberd also got on the board in singles and ended the night unbeaten in doubles. Esteban Martinez gave his usual committed performance, taking sets from his more experienced opponents. For Springlands, Zac and Jason won two singles, while Lan Zhang won the last single of the night.

Guernsey 11 bt. Arawa 1

Arawa were without Matt Millar and it was fill-in player Ping Muanwong who gained their point, with a win over Rob Honour. Earlier, Rob had won his two the singles with some solid play. Graeme Jackson was his usual consistent self, while ex Hutt valley player Bradley Roberts impressed with his serves.

Points:

Kiwi 17, Guernsey 16, Waterlea 16, Springlands 11, Arawa 9, Tua Marina 9

B Grade

Renwick 8 bt. Fairhall 4

Gerry van Kuyk, playing in his first competition match of the season, had an outstanding match for Renwick. He won three singles and partnered Cora Wilson and Ali Pottinger to doubles wins. Earlier, Cora had also won her three singles, which was a great achievement for this under-13 player. Ali fought hard in his singles matches, just losing out in five setters to Vinny van Kuyk and fill-in player Steve Rowsell. Marion Wood also got on the board for Fairhall.

Ward 8 bt. Spring Creek 4

Rohan Saini, playing his first competition match in Marlborough, impressed for Ward with three singles wins. Marcus Osborne and Barbara Burkhart won a single each with their team taking the doubles 3-0. Spring Creek's points were shared by David Foley and Dennis Burkhart.

Blenheim 7 bt. Wairau Valley 5

Ray Zinsli again showed why he is one of the top players in the B Grade, as he won his three singles comfortably. His team-mates Yunfei Wei and Hilary Wood won a singles match each, while Yunfei was undefeated in doubles.

For Wairau Valley, Peter Cowdrey and Lucy Thom won two matches each while fill-in player Janice Thompsett got on the board with a five set doubles win with Peter.

Points:

Ward 18, Blenheim 16,  Renwick 13, Wairau Valley 13, Fairhall 9, Spring Creek 9

The first round of inter-club was played last Thursday with each of the twelve teams having a name of a team/club that had previously played in the competition over the last 100 years. 2026 being the Association's one hundredth year.

A Grade

Kiwi 8 Guernsey 4

Nathan Cross was flying for the Kiwi Team winning 5 out of 5, with his loops into the body being very effective. He beat the well-performed Graeme Jackson in his first singles match and finished off with a four set win over Bradley Roberts. Bradley is making a comeback to the sport, and in his junior days was a New Zealand junior titleholder in doubles. Jacqui Wood won two singles and lost to Graeme in the last singles of the night, in a tactical match. Caitlin Exton, Marlborough's top junior girl, made her debut in the A Grade and impressed with some stylish play, Caitlin won her doubles match with Nathan and nearly got a second win with Jacqui, just losing out in a five set thriller. She then beat Rob Honour 11-7, 9-11, 15-17, 11-9, 14-12 in a tremendous match, with both players counter hitting effectively.

Waterlea 8 Tua Marina 4

Ollie Phipps won 5 from 5 for his side. He had to work hard though as both David Stephens and Harry Speakman took sets from him. Billy Hebberd backed him up with two wins and came really close to a third, just losing out to David by 6-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7. These two players played out some classic five set matches last season, and this one was no exception. The ever-improving Esteban Martinez gave everything in his singles matches and played confidently for his two doubles wins. David won two singles for his side, with Harry and Ken Thompsett picking up a win each.

Arawa 7 Springlands 5

A clean sweep of the doubles gave Arawa the win after Springlands took the singles 5-4. Earlier Matt Millar had won his three singles, with Springlands number one Zac Cowdrey taking him to four sets. Kylie Hurren beat Lan Zhang 11-6,11-6, 6-11, 11-9 continuing her good form from the latter part of the 2025 season. Lan played in Blenheim as a junior back in the 2010's and showed some nice attacking touches. Peter Welsh took sets from Zac and Lan and played a big role in his team's doubles successes. Jason Kennedy was his usual consistent self, matching Zac's two singles wins.

B Grade

Ward 8 Renwick 4

Fill-in player Macey Matzig gained two wins for Renwick and played an absolute thriller against another fill-in player Steve Rowsell. Steve, back in the sport after a couple of years, won it by 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 showing that he hadn't lost his ability to place the ball effectively around the table. Marcus Osborne, another returning player, also went well for two wins. Barbara Burkhart beat Ali Pottinger in a long five setter by 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 14-16, 11-7 and as usual came away with two  doubles wins. For the Renwick side, Cora Wilson picked up a singles win to go with Steve's three wins.

Wairau Valley 7 Fairhall 5

Peter Cowdrey had to work hard to get two wins  for the Valley side. Young left-hander Finnbar Duncan, making his debut in the B Grade, played consistent table  tennis to also get two wins. Indeed, it was almost three wins as Finnbar lost to fellow junior Fletcher Phipps by 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7. This match featured many top-spin rallies, with both boys looking for openings. Lucy Thom won a single and was undefeated in doubles. Marion Wood beat Lucy 11-9 in the fifth set adding to Fletcher's three wins. Vinny van Kuyk got on the board with a doubles win with Fletcher.

Blenheim 7 Spring Creek 5

Ray Zinsli was one of the top players in the B Grade in 2025 and he won his three singles without dropping a set showing again that he will be tough to beat. The big-hitting Yunfei Wei won two singles, including a 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9 win over Dennis Burkhart. Hilary Wood and Oscar Duncan played out a five setter, with Hilary taking it by 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7 with both players hitting to all parts of the table. For the Spring Creek team, David Foley won two singles and Dennis, one. Dennis was undefeated in doubles, while Oscar on his B Grade debut got on the board with a doubles win with Dennis.

By Chris Hood