WHS too strong in qualifier - March 2016

The Wanganui High School tennis team will once again go through to represent Tennis Central at the NZSS Championship finals after beating Wanganui Collegiate 4-2 in the zonal qualifier on Wednesday.

Fresh off retaining the Christie Cup in Manawatu, senior representative players Paris Butters and Gabrielle Hiri dominated the girls' games, outclassing Collegiate's Sophie Ensor and Kyla Pearce with the identical scores of 6-0 6-2.

WHS then won the girls' doubles match 6-2 6-2.

Collegiate got their first point from Hamish Mead, who easily defeated a game Sam Russell 6-0 6-1.

However, the swing result was provided by WHS's No2 boy Vitek Sosnowski, who spokesman Peter Reid said showed "tremendous composure and consistency" to defeat the "spirited" Issei Kurosaki, Japanese student, by 6-3 7-6.

WHS loss the boys' doubles to Collegiate by 6-2 6-2, but the match was already a dead rubber with WHS holding a 4-1 lead going in.

They will now join Hutt Valley High School in representing the Central region in the mixed grade at the NZSS Tennis Championship finals at the Scarboro Tennis Centre in Auckland, held during the first week of April.

"Only eight schools nationally qualify for the prestigious tournament," said Reid.

"WHS has now qualified in four of the last five years, with their best result in 2014 when they finished fifth co-ed school in New Zealand."

(Wanganui Chronicle 4/3/16)