Cranston prevails on home court
Ohakune's national doubles tennis champion Karen Cranston showed her class at the 2013 New Zealand Masters Games in comfortably winning the women's A-grade 50+ tennis competition in Wanganui yesterday.
Playing at her home courts at the Wanganui Tennis Club, Cranston won gold, relegating clubmate Helen Russell to a silver medal in the final with Wendy McKevacs from Wellington winning bronze.
Cranston recently won the 50-55 age group national doubles title in Hamilton and finished runner-up in the singles and mixed doubles to gain selection in the New Zealand team for the world age group championships in Turkey next month.
Meanwhile, Sandra Glennie from Wanganui claimed gold in the A60+ group yesterday, while ex-pat Canadian Mary Stobbe, now living in Wanganui, claimed silver. Auckland's Marilyn Simpson bagged the bronze.
Wanganui clubmates Glenn Brown and Doug Ireton battled it out for gold yesterday afternoon in the men's A50+ age group with Brown coming out on top. Brown is a former New Zealand Masters Games gold medal winner, while Ireton, a teacher, is regarded as an up-and-comer in his age group as he plays more tennis.
In the men's A40+ group ex-pat Frenchman Patrice Mathey, who also now lives in Wanganui, won gold ahead of New Plymouth ace Shane Devlin with Belgian-born Wanganui-ite Andi Studtmueller claiming bronze.
