Junior tennis heads to NZ

Sixteen junior tennis players are polishing up their game ahead of a tour to New Zealand for two separate tournaments next month.

The local tennis squad will play in the Hamilton Coca Cola tournament between December 7 and 12 before taking part in the annual Auckland Christmas tournament.

Rarotonga junior tennis players have been attending the Auckland tournament for some years now and the Hamilton competition is a new addition to the programme.

This year the tournament will be played after the Hamilton competition from December 17 to 23.

The squad will be chaperoned on their tour by a group of five parents. Tennis players based in New Zealand including Alex and Taylor Beddoes, Fred Pickering and Ngana Nicholas will join the group.

Both tournaments are for players aged between eight and 18 and gives local children in the training programme the opportunity to test their skills against New Zealand players.

In aid of their New Zealand tour, a fundraiser tennis tournament will be held this Saturday at the Nikao Tennis Centre.

Whether you are a regular tennis player, or used to be – loosen up those shoulder muscles and support the future tennis stars of the country.

Registrations are $20 for singles and $40 for doubles and doubles players are guaranteed 5 games each.

If you’re not up for tennis – the junior tennis players will be selling delicious plates of food and drinks at the courts.

But go on – dust off those old tennis shoes and get behind the junior players and show them how you played back in the day.

For any information or to register for the fundraiser tournament – contact Malcolm Kajer on 75614 or Lynne Samuel on 74072 or 27314.