Stormy skies and strong scores

AT last Monday’s committee meeting President Robert Williams thanked everyone for a fantastic start to the summer season. Coach Liam Delany also thanked the committee for their support starting to coach this season. Jo O’Brien outlined the growth of the junior competition and a format change. Parent on-court support has enabled the juniors to enjoy games in the company of friends while learning the rules, skills, and etiquette of tennis. Tuesday by Michael Whytcross TUESDAY night tennis was back on in humid conditions after the Melbourne Cup break with a number fill in players helping to deliver some even matches throughout the evening. An injured Brendan Grant resulted in a stacked Aldous team with the recruitment of Greg McDermott and although the closest match of the week, it still wasn’t enough for them to get across the line against the strength of Yencken. Unwavering consistency from Dan Robertson and some calf straining forehands from Mark ‘Puddles’ Poole saw Yencken edge ahead on games but with an even set result. Although Karyn Fraser adamantly affirmed it was ‘much closer than the score suggests’, O’Loughlan secured a competitive five sets to one win against Hutchison who have now moved into second spot on the ladder. Guy Taylor and James Fox were again dominant winning all three of their sets respectively. An enthralling battle between Crockett and Blackall delivered three tiebreaks which could have gone either way. Rohan West and Callum Bono secured 12-10 win in the decider over Jaden Findlay and Arthur Gerrans with team Crockett winning 32 games to 27 overall with sets split four to two. Opponents Rohan and Jaden faced each other in all three tiebreaks. Scores: Yencken 3/29 defeated Aldous 3/26, O’Loughlan 5/30 defeated Hutchison 1/27, and Crockett 4/32 defeated Blackall 2/27. Tuesday Ladder: Murray 19.5, O’Loughlan 18.5, Yencken 16.5, McDonagh 15, Crockett 13, Hutchison 10.5, Aldous 9.5, Blackall 9.5 Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast over the weekend the ‘Come and Try’ Pickleball event was postponed. Combining tennis, table tennis, and badminton, Pickleball is suitable for all ages so please keep an eye out for an update in the new year. Wednesday by Steph Herridge and Cassie Daykin IT’S been a great start to the season for Out of the Blue, and in this round only giving up one set to True Colours. The marital duo team of Rob Les and Kate Les showed what it takes to stay married. A game of competitive tennis, great communication and encouragement although it wasn’t enough against Will McAlister and Steph Herridge attempting to break the happy couple and, in the end, won the set against True Colours six games to two. True Colours then threw in another married duo, Liz Scales and Pete Scales. They proved married couples can work together to win! They showed Matt Lowe and Kelly Purcell how putting aside who did the dishes that night, and focusing on winning shots you can achieve greatness. The Scales duo won the only set of the night six games to three. Out of the Blue won with a happy total 32 games to 21. Burnt Orange faced Crimson Souls, and by the looks of the score Burnt Orange were distracted by the Kookaburras. The beautiful specimen sitting on the net post gave Crimson Souls an advantage with Simon Young and Suzie Wellborne showing their skills and winning a great game against Abbey McConnell and Anna Francis six games to zero. Whilst beside them on the court teammates David Mims and Helen Knight dropped only one game in six, playing a fantastic set with many rallies and power shots played. Crimson Souls won the night in straight sets with 36 games to four. The middle courts were home to a close match between Brown Sugar and Red Roses. Red Roses fought hard collecting 18 games, but only grabbed the one set. Robert Williams and Lisa Morgan played hard and showcased their favourite shots against Mick Davis and Julie Aldous. Lisa and Robert won the only set for their team on the night six games to three. Performing gracefully and making a good start on the night Kimberley Marsden and Nick Ferguson took on Emma Kay and Alice Kilpatrick proving to be quick on the court and on the net, setting up Brown Sugar’s win six games to one. Overall, the match went to Brown Sugar 33 games to 18. Wednesday Ladder: Out of the Blue 27, Brown Sugar 23, True Colours 18, Red Roses 16, Crimson Souls 13, Burnt Orange 8. Thursday by Liza Karras THERE was much laughter between Night Fever and Let’s Dance on courts one and two as they tussled for honours during the match. There were also many firsts on the night for both teams, with Courtney Purcell serving to deuce twelve times in her first set with Bron Sly against Zoe Richards and Rebecca Wardenaar, finally managing to serve out the game and win the set six to two. It was a tight contest in the set between Michael McCormack and Naima Crisp against Ben Nally and Chelsea Dean, with Michael and Naima winning in a tiebreaker seven to five. Michael and Rebecca teamed up to win their set together in another first for the Thursday night season! At the finish Night Fever were too good for Let’s Dance, who are building good form, and won the match four sets to two, 33 games to 17. Changes had a decisive win over Let It Be, winning the match five sets to one. It was encouraging to see Les Kerr win all his sets on the night. While he put his success down to a new racquet, it could have something to do with his tenacity and ability to chase down any ball that led to his partnership success. Number one and two players Natalie Bergsma and Tim Vardy teamed up to win their team’s only set of the night against their opponents, Liza Karras and Jason O’Brien. They led from the outset, only conceding one game. Smooth Operators were buoyed by the inclusion of two club champions into their line up to take on top side Come Together. Liam Wilson and Max O’Loughlan had stepped into support captain Ilena Meek and Brendan Purcell who had their fourth player on crutches and their number one doing exams. Max was in fine form on his third consecutive night of tennis. Shane Richards, Rhonda Carpenter, Kass Thomas and Bob Carpenter were feeling the heat in their encounter but both teams relished hitting the harder paced ball. A gripping tiebreaker between the one to four combo pairs saw the lead change multiple times and match points earned then lost. Liam and Brendan finished it at 11 to nine against an ultra-determined Shane and Bob. A bright beginning by Shane Richards and Kass Thomas saw them winning six to one but this was the only set for their team Come Together as the Operators were simply too smooth on the night. Every match had one tiebreaker in it, as the competition is becoming closer and more skillful each week. Thursday Ladder: Come Together 26, Smooth Operators 23, Let It Be 22, Changes 15, Night Fever 12, Let’s Dance seven

Stormy skies and strong scores

Koalas and Banksias take top spots

Crucial tiebreak triumphs at night tennis

Full moon, fierce matches, and fun rivalries

Weather disrupts tennis but spirits stay high

Summer night competition back with a bang

Rufous Whistler – arrival of a summer songbird

Bombers go back-to-back in A grade

“No stone unturned” – Police committed to the long-haul in manhunt

Start your engines, Wilby Drags are back

Most popular stories