CAMPBELL belied its lowly ranking in the tennis pennant standings with a brilliant win over McCallum by 15 games.
The loss puts McCallum in danger of missing the four, with next week’s match now vital to the team.
The first men’s set was a cracker, with McCallum’s Darren Wardle and Adam Laughlin just squeezing out a tiebreak win over John Wardle and Brendan Angus.
Luke Morrison and Dwayne Grey squared the ledger with a one game win for Campbell over Max Carroll and Tony Evans but McCallum’s Tim Croft was involved in the next two sets.
He won the first with John Brookshaw and the second with Bruce McDowall.
Both results were eight games to three, which gave McCallum some breathing space.
John Wardle and Grey and Ken Grisdale and Tim Gleeson scored wins for Campbell, while Carroll and Laughlin and Darren Wardle and Carroll were successful for McCallum, leaving the match well balanced.
However John Wardle’s greater experience told in the singles, where he was too good for younger sibling Darren and presented Campbell with the lead.
Campbell got off to the best of starts in the women’s sets, where Louise Angus and Bec Grey scored an 8-1 victory and Sarah O’Meara and Bridie Gardner a handy 8-5 result.
Karen McKissack and Julie Croton struck back for McCallum, getting a coveted 8-0 win but Campbell finished the women’s games powerfully, with wins to Angus and O’Meara, and to Ash Donnan and Gardner, who won a tiebreak from Croton and Virginia Gleeson.
Laughlin and Angela Best scored a strong win in the first mixed set and Croft and Croton finished the day with a second big win for McCallum.
The three middle sets belonged to Campbell, with Dwayne Grey and O’Meara, Tim Gleeson and Bec Grey and Grisdale and Donnan all successful.
For more on this story see Monday’s edition of The Guardian (March 4, 2013).
