CHS tennis tourney has history

Published 12:00 am Monday, September 27, 2010

NATCHEZ — Sunny skies and cooler temperatures greeted the tennis players on the final day of the annual Cathedral Fall Festival Tennis Tournament at Duncan Park, and they took advantage of it with some great tennis.

Champions were crowned in eight different classifications in the tournament that helped raise money for Cathedral School.

“The Cathedral Fall Festival is the school’s biggest fundraiser of the year,” tournament director Beth Foster said. “We’re just a small part of it. It’s a fun thing for us to get together and do.”

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And for Foster, as well as many people across the Miss-Lou, the tournament is an event that goes through generations.

“I remember being a little girl out there with my parents playing in the tournament,” said Foster, who also played in the tournament. “My partner is my sister, my mother played in it and my uncle played in it.”

Foster said the tournament enjoyed a greater than expected participation.

“It was a very good turnout,” Foster said. “Everything went smooth and well, knock on wood, there were no complaints that I know of.”

In women’s 4.0 doubles, Melee Gautreau and Lillian Pasos defeated Nancy Laird and Mary Ruth Caldwell 7-6, 6-4 in the championship match.

Beth Foster and Katie Mahoney defeated Sally Jones and Lou Ellen Stout 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 to win the women’s 3.5 doubles while Donna Callaway and Shannon Church defeated Debra Harris and Christina Smith 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 to win women’s 3.0 doubles.

The women’s 2.5 doubles tournament was in a round-robin format, and Laura Bonds and Kimula Turner won all t here of their matches to take the title.

The men’s 3.5 doubles was also a round-robin format and Kenny Gautreau and Charles Ayles won the championship by winning all three of their matches.

The 8.0 mixed doubles was a round-robin format as well, and Melee Gautreau and Kirk Senchak were a perfect 3 for 3 to win that championship.

In the 7.0 mixed doubles, Keith Smith and Augusta Smith defeated Kenny Gautreau and Lillian Pasos 7-5, 6-2 in the championship match, while Jim Lessley and Mary Lessley defeated Kate Ellard and Tate Hobdy 6-2, 7-5 to win the 6.0 doubles title.