Full moon, fierce matches, and fun rivalries

Wednesday night games close calls: BY SUZIE WELLBORNE Under a glowing full moon — and no lingering signs from Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup celebrations — the courts came alive for a great night of tennis last Wednesday. The Kookaburras faced off against the Bilbies in a series of spirited matches. The Bilbies, fuelled by youthful strength and energy, managed to outrun their more seasoned opponents to claim the overall win. But the night wasn’t short on grit and excitement, especially in the second round when Craig Wilson and Louise Calvert Jones battled it out against Laura Gosney and Suzie Wellborne. Every rally was fiercely contested, and the scoreboard didn’t quite reflect it as Craig and Louise fought for every point with great determination. Meanwhile the Koalas and Emus were locked in their own tussle. Matt Lowe, still recovering from a calf injury, pushed through the pain in a gripping final set against Rob Williams and Ted Lovick — a clash that fittingly ended in a tense tiebreaker. In the end, the Koalas’ consistency paid off. With even sets across the board and a countback on games, they clinched the night with a 6-game lead. Another thrilling night with the Wallabies and Kangas facing off in what turned out to be another very close finish. Both teams brought their best energy to deliver a night full of long rallies and fierce competition. Amy, with her young legs and relentless energy kept the rallies alive. She covered every inch of the court, proving once again that stamina and spirit can turn the tide in tight matches. By the end of play and with four tie breakers played, the scoreboard told the story of a true nail-biter: three sets apiece, leaving the night to again be decided by games won. In the slimmest of margins, the Wallabies claimed victory with 33 games to the Kangas’ 31. It was a night of camaraderie, competition, and just the right amount of chaos, proof once again that under the lights (and the moon), tennis brings out everyone’s best game. Wednesday Ladder: Kangas 14.5, Wallabies 14, Bilbies 13.5, Koalas 11, wombats 9.5, Emus 9, and Kookaburras 2. Tiebreak intensity on Thursday night: BY RHONDA CARPENTER It was another superbly warm night for the intense battles of high-quality shot making with every match needing tiebreakers to settle their scores. Laughter could be heard across every court as teams enjoyed lengthy rallies with clever placement in spirited exchanges. Opponents were cheered for their winners in three tight matches. Top side Wattles would take on Lilly Pillys in an even match up after a fill in switch balanced out the contests for two matches. Arthur Gerrans hit outlandish winners against his equally hard-hitting opponent Jason O’Brien as both placed balls to the far corners of the court. Chelsea Dean was creating her own highlight reel plucking balls from the sky and slicing sharp angles at the net. The opening sets went to tiebreaks both going Lilly Pillys way. Anna Francis and Rhonda Carpenter enjoyed their first win together, while Amanda Jones combined strongly with her Wattles’ teammates, landing lobs deep on baseline corners a specialty. Everyone was enjoying their best tennis in the extremely even match up. The match would come down to the final sets. Jo O’Brien and Amanda defeated the previously unbeaten pairing of Anna and Chelsea 6-3. The one-two match-up, with fill-in Rachel Parsons playing in another tiebreak set well past her bedtime, would determine the outcome. Freakish gets in clutch moments, power serving and gutsy put-aways were on display everywhere. Nothing could separate them level on 30 games each, but Lilly Pillys had claimed an extra set when Arthur and Rhonda held their nerve to take a third tiebreaker 8-6, for their first win together, and win the match 4/30 to 2/30 in the closest of contests. The extra point was split between the two teams. Wattles held onto top spot on the ladder. Gum Trees and Bottle Brush also began with two tiebreak opening sets. Michael McCormack replaced Alistair Crockett and combined superbly with Chris Hill, Les Kerr and Courtney Purcell to win both ties 8-6 for Bottle Brush. Tim Vardy needed to give his team a ‘pep talk’ and Bob Carpenter, Peter Barnes and Jodie Morrow listened, steadied the ship, and won the next two 6-1 and 6-4. The final sets went 6-1, 1-6, one each way, but Gum Trees snatched the win on games and were home 3/29 to 3/24. Further high-quality hitting between Banksias and Flame Trees lengthened their contest with the number ones, Natalie Bergsma and Max O’Loughlan, returning each other’s balls in twenty shot rallies. Last minute replacement Suzie Wellborne stepped in to save the day, winning all her sets with Banksia’s Bron Sly, Natalie and Andrew Raftery. Banksias won both tiebreak sets 7-4 and 7-2, in this entertainingly tight match to take victory 4/27 to 2/29. Despite losing, Flame Trees picked up an extra point by winning more games. The ladder points were amended post-match in accordance with the bylaws. Thursday night’s reputation for a serious yet joyous competition with players enjoying high level hitting in a light-hearted spirit plus post-match socialising continues. Thursday Ladder Wattles remain on top with 18.5, Flame Trees 15, Gum Trees 15, Banksias 15, Lilly Pillys 12.5, and Bottle Brush 8. Juniors by Keira McDonagh We had 35 players over nine courts on Saturday morning. Jack Stevenson, Fynn Taylor and Willem Morphett had the most success, each winning all three of their sets to get a perfect score of 12 points.

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