By name and by nature, Jill Starr was an athletic, elite all-rounder, who was also selected in the SA senior and junior State netball teams competing in the 1963 and 1964 Australian Netball
Championships respectively.
By name and by nature, Jill Starr, taller than most players of her time, played singles in the Australian championships six times from 1962 to 1967.
In great form, she reached the last 16 in 1965, beating the German titleholder at the time, Helga Niessen in the 1st round.
Such was the Niessen’s standing in world tennis, the German champion later lost to Margaret Court in the final of the French Open.
Jill Starr dominated women’s tennis in this State.
She had no peer through her junior years in the late 50s and early 60s. In fact, she took out the Australian Junior Doubles title in 1962 with Heather Ross.
And at just 16, she moved into the No. 1 senior ranking and remained there for seven years: 1961-67.
The Boyce Medal was first presented in 1963/64 and given for sportsmanship and on-court demeanour.
Jill Starr won that medal twice in 1965 and 1967, the second with her married name, Jill Sutter. Blessed with an athletic stature, she was a powerful server and attacked opponents with ‘cannonball’ baseline hitting.
Through those peak 1960s years, Jill also held the position of State selector and Wilson Cup Manager.
Retiring from 1st Class Tennis at the end of 1967/68 season, she consolidated a PE and Tennis Coaching position at Woodlands School at Glenelg, eventually retiring after 30 years.
Significantly, in 1973 she broke new ground, becoming the first female qualified by the SA Professional Tennis Coaches Association and nine years later, she became an accredited Level 2 Tennis Coach by the Australian Coaching Council.
Jill Sutter also took up private tennis coaching at the Glenlea Tennis Club in Novar Gardens. For 12 years in the 70s and 80s, she also coached thousands of school children in the metropolitan area and beyond in The Advertiser Tennis Coaching program.
An athletic, elite all-rounder, she was also selected in the SA senior and junior State netball teams competing in the 1963 and 1964 Australian Championships respectively.
The quick, agile movements using quick feet, important to tennis, clearly transferred to elite level netball.
Married to Adrian Sutter, a former SANFL North Adelaide footballer, they had two children – international, State and Contax netballer, Sarah Sutter, and younger sister, Emma, who played State League netball for Contax.
