Stokes Valley confirmed the
promise they showed last season by making the semi finals of the Wellington Regional One
Mens Competition. As a result Stokes Valley will contest the top four playoffs which begin
on 9 February.The team has been well-led by manager Lloyd Kelly. This year Kelly made a small coup by recruiting Eru Lyndon, a former NZ U/18 representative who returned to Wellington from Oklahoma State University in July last year. Having a bona fide number one has made the difference.
Last year's number one Mat Spooner from the Wairarapa is playing good tennis at the moment and Lyndon's 15 year old brother is also in the side with an eye to the future. "The boys have done quite well and made the step up from last year, and while we have had our run of injuries we are still right in there with a chance," says Lloyd Kelly.
Stokes Valley have drawn the hard match when the season resumes when they meet the in-form Maungaraki side indoors at the Renouff Centre. A back injury suffered by Eru Lyndon at the Hutt Valley Open should be right by then, as Lyndon is almost unbeatable indoors. Jeff Coleman, the Stokes Valley Number Two should also be well clear of Chicken Pox, which kept him out of the Hutt Valley Open. "Jeff has now moved to Wellington from Nelson, and this is a good move where his tennis is concerned," says Lloyd Kelly.
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