Collingwod tennis coach Al Rose has already picked out the slogan for the team’s 2015 season.
“Eight is great,” he says with a laugh. “That’s your headline.”
The Cavaliers continued their dynasty at the AA level this season, winning the provincial tournament for the eighth year in a row last weekend at Queen Elizabeth Park. And this one was one of the toughest yet.
The Cavaliers faced a familiar North Shore foe in the provincial final, meeting the Carson Graham Eagles for the second straight year. And it was the Eagles who seemingly had the upper hand coming into the tournament, having beaten the Cavaliers in their two previous meetings this season. But when it mattered most the perennial champs played like champs again, winning the final by a score of 7-4.
“It was one of those years where we knew that Carson was going to be the team we needed to climb over to get to the top,” says Rose, who co-coaches the Collingwood team with Andy Wong. “It’s become a really good rivalry over the years.”
Individual awards went to Isaac Davies of Collingwood as the outstanding boys singles player and the outstanding girls singles player was shared by Carson Graham’s Angie Walker and Collingwood’s Kyla Jarrar. Carson’s Alex Walker and Maya Lang were named the outstanding girls doubles team.
“It was a very good final, great sportsmanship by both teams — it could have gone either way,” says Rose. “It’s always nerve-wracking to play someone that’s your neighbour. . . . It always makes it more difficult, especially for the kids. They take it to heart, there’s a lot on the line.”
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At the AAA level West Vancouver’s other tennis powerhouse couldn’t keep their dynasty alive as the Sentinel Spartans finished third, breaking a string of six straight provincial championships. Sentinel lost in the semifinals against the combined team of St. George’s/Crofton house, the eventual champions. The match came down to a tie-breaker in the final set, with Sentinel making a frantic comeback, fighting off five match points before finally falling.
