September Tennis Tourney

- Colin Bower -

Brothers Iaan and Stegmann Coetzee earned themselves bragging rights for a year by winning the men’s doubles section of the Prince Albert September Tennis Tournament, strangely enough, held in September. They won a tense final against Dirk Visser, and the enfant terrible of the tourney, Sandy Swanepoel. Iaan and Stegmann had previously encountered brave opposition from the Stephan Schoeman/Brent Philips-White pairing, this being Brent’s first appearance in a major tournament since injuring himself in a car accident. In the other semi-final Dirk and Sandy edged out Fourie Munro and Darius Fourie, although the latter pair claimed unfair tactics on the part of their opponents, who were inclined to hit the ball down the centre of the court, and then shout “Yours Fourie”, thus encouraging a collision of the two confused players.

The mixed section was won by Andrea Gouws and Joshua “Then and Now” Swanepoel, who beat Marelise Vorster and Dirk Visser. Twenty-two players participated in the tournament, and the level of competition was extremely high, the on-court tensions frequently exacerbated by much jeering and other forms of raucous behaviour from the spectators sitting up in the club’s grandstand.

Players and spectators generously put themselves under an obligation to spend lavishly on the liquid refreshments in a bid to boost club funds, and superb boerewors supplied by André Gouws was married to the best roosterkoek produced by the Fourie family for a lunchtime feast, although there were some complaints about the fiery chakalaka which the voorsitter had prepared overnight before the tournament, the after effects of which were apparently felt for three days by some members.

But, all in all, it was a successful day, with special thanks due to sponsors The Gallery Café, Miller’s Restaurant, Café Albert, and The Lazy Lizard.