Western News: June 18, 2019
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WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Tuesday <strong>June</strong> <strong>18</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 19<br />
Plenty of restrings to his bow<br />
• By Gordon Findlater<br />
TONY RALFE was recognised<br />
for 51 years of involvement<br />
at the Bishopdale Tennis<br />
Club by receiving the Ian<br />
Jones Memorial Award at the<br />
Canterbury Tennis Awards.<br />
Ralfe, who is approaching 70,<br />
has been made a life member by<br />
Bishopdale, Wilding Park and<br />
Canterbury Tennis. For almost<br />
34 years he has also owned and<br />
operated a sports shop at Bishopdale<br />
Mall. However, he is currently<br />
trying to sell Bishopdale<br />
Sports World with the idea of<br />
taking to the road with his tennis<br />
racket stringing machine.<br />
“I’ll just keep a stringing<br />
machine and trot round the<br />
country and Wilding Park,<br />
picking up the odd thing when<br />
there’s a tournament on,” said<br />
Ralfe.<br />
“In smaller places like<br />
Greymouth or Kaikoura<br />
if you break a string on<br />
Saturday morning you can’t<br />
get it restrung, but: “I used<br />
to play veterans and take the<br />
machine with me. You can<br />
restring between games quite<br />
comfortably.”<br />
Ralfe isn’t just accustomed<br />
to doing restrings for talented<br />
juniors and veteran players,<br />
every January he travels to<br />
Auckland for the ASB Classic<br />
where he has serviced rackets<br />
for the world’s best players<br />
including Serena Williams.<br />
SPORT<br />
“I went this year. I may have<br />
had my swansong. I’ve had 15<br />
years up there and I’m getting<br />
too old for it now. The hours are<br />
long and it’s fairly tough work,<br />
but I haven’t fully decided yet,”<br />
said Ralfe.<br />
Award winners:<br />
Personality of the year – Dylis<br />
Hancox and Sue Dennis.<br />
Junior female player of the year<br />
– Abby Mason<br />
Junior male player of the year –<br />
Reece Falck<br />
Club coach of the year – Gareth<br />
Robb<br />
Performance coach of the year<br />
– Andrew Falck<br />
Volunteer of the year – Gordon<br />
Collingwood<br />
Administrator of the year –<br />
Megan Bruynel<br />
Ian Jones memorial award –<br />
Tony Ralfe<br />
Player of the year – Tessa Mc-<br />
Cann<br />
Club of the year – Waimairi<br />
Tennis Club<br />
LARGER THAN LIFE: Tony<br />
Ralfe has been recognised<br />
for 51 years of involvement<br />
at the Bishopdale Tennis<br />
Club by receiving the Ian<br />
Jones Memorial Award at the<br />
Canterbury Tennis Awards.<br />
•More sport, p20<br />
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
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