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Letter to the editor

State berths on line for league champs

By NANCY MORGAN
Published July 4, 2007

Nine local USTA league champions hope "home-court advantage" prevails this weekend as they compete in the Central Region Adult League Championships.

With the benefit of making just a short drive to host sites Countryside Country Club and East Lake Woodlands, local teams will challenge league winners from Tampa, Orlando, Altamonte Springs and Polk County for regional titles and the right to advance to the state tournament next month.

Among the local teams competing in the three-day tournament are Countryside 2.5 and 3.5 women and 3.0 men; East Lake 3.0 women; Southwest 3.5 men; St. Petersburg Tennis Center 4.0 women; Seminole 4.0 men; McMullen 4.5 men and Royal Racquet Club 4.5 women.

The SPTC 4.0 women were unbeaten in the eight-team division and won 24 of 35 individual positions. Captain Turtle Marshall relied on Lisa Moyers, Lynn Pratt, Joanne Valone and Linda Miller to defend the two singles positions. In doubles were Susan Hobbs, Ann Worthington, Marshall, Marion Murch, Michele Pennie, Sandy Martin and Lyn Ballinger.

Seminole's team of 13 played to a 10-0 record in its six-team division. Captain Brian Cooper used Bill Radford, Jeff Mars and Greg Hilbert for singles. Among the doubles players are Cooper, Joe Burke, Gerald Alvarado, Curtis McGee, Lance Cohen, Clark Higgs, Rick Scott, Kevin Hayslett, Randy Gibson and Michael Rothberg.

This will be the first trip to regional play for the Southwest 3.5 squad. Locally, Southwest claimed its division by one individual position win, then won in a playoff match.

"I generally used Larry Giuffre or Chris Allen in No. 1 singles and Mike Kirkpatrick or Dave McNally in No. 2, " said captain David McNally. "We mixed and matched in doubles and tried to establish some doubles teams at the end of the season." Donald Gaston, Larry Voss, Bill Brintrup, Mike Wilkinson, Bob Malta and Rafael Martinez were paired among the three doubles positions.

McMullen's 4.5 men's team includes players ranging throughout Pinellas. Playing the majority of singles were Juan Segovia, Matt Holsopple and Terry O'Grady.

"We had a couple of teams that play fairly often together, like Michael Erbe and Marvin Wilhite and Ron Wiser and Tim O'Brien, " said captain Steve Talner. "I pretty much filled the third position with players according to their availability." Rounding out the McMullen squad are Mark Taylor, Scott Spoerl, Michael Carroll, Steven and Paul Reilly.

Competition begins Friday for 19 women's teams and 12 men's. Winners advance to the state tournament Aug. 10-12 in Daytona Beach.

NET SHOTS: Jorge Guerra reached the boys 16-and-under doubles final with Paul Polarczyk in the Florida Open Championships.

- Emily Dvorak and Shaunte Southern will compete in this month's USTA Zonal Team competition for 14-and-under juniors. USTA sections Florida, Northern California, Southern California and Southwest will compete July 8-12 in Naples in coed team competition in boys and girls singles and doubles and mixed doubles.

- Amy Lowther was chosen for the Team Florida Challenge in Boca Raton July 9-12.

- Alexandra Cercone will compete for Florida July 8-12 in Shreveport, La., in the USTA Intersectional Team Competition.

- Collecting singles titles in the Junior Summer Bash in Temple Terrace were Yasmin Franco (girls 12), Julia Sikorski (16) and top seed Danielle Collins (18).

COMING UP: The July Spectacular Super Series for juniors 14-and-under begins Saturday at Seminole Lake Tennis Center. Call 394-1773. ...Royal Racquet Club hosts a super series for 18-and-unders this weekend. Call 799-3200.

[Last modified July 3, 2007, 21:17:45]