Summer tennis competitions get underway

Tuesday night PLAYERS were welcomed to the season by new club president Robert Williams and Karyn Fraser. Murray met O’Loughlan in a topsy-turvy affair as sets went each way. Jason Blake, Brett Withers, Michelle Pigdon and Kathryn Murray got the jump on O’Loughlan taking two of the first three sets. Mark and Max O’Loughlan took theirs in a tiebreaker seven to three and when Mark won another with teammate James Fox it was on. Murray put their foot down in the final pairs, winning both convincingly six to two and six to one to take the match 4/29 to 2/20. Max Ree Goodings, Jaden Findlay, Sarah Fox and Dion Theodossi went all out in an even contest for Blackall. Michael Tomlinson and Karyn Fraser won their opener six to two for Hutchison but Jaden and Dion won theirs six to two. The second pairings were another mirror image of six to four and nothing separated them. The final pairs were again shared but Blackall slipped in front by two games to win 3/26 to 3/24 Match of the night between Crockett and Yencken had three tiebreakers. Anna Speirs and Keira McDonagh defeated Rohan West and Al Crockett seven to five in a determined display. Rohan extracted brief revenge winning with partner Tony Canterbury seven to two against Anna and Mark Poole, but Dan Robertson and Anna won their set in the third breaker seven to one. Yencken won 4/30 to 2/25. Captains are reminded that any replacement players need to become members by their third match. Updated bylaws can be found on the club website. Wednesday night IT was the perfect weather to kick off the Wednesday night comp and blow out the tennis cobwebs. The fill in list was well utilised by most teams, allowing the night to go ahead, and there are still many teams wondering what the theme is for this year’s very creative team names. Brown Sugar was too strong for Crimson Souls taking out the night six sets to zero. Crimson Souls put up some great battles with Jenny Bell and Suzie Wellborne challenging Peter Hood and Kim Marsden. It was a tight match with Peter and Kim eventually getting the win. Nick Ferguson had a strong night playing in the number one position for Brown Sugar, proving that regular hitting throughout the winter months really does pay off. Out of the Blue came out blazing in the first week back, winning the night five sets to one against Red Roses. Cass Daykin was a valuable fill in for Out of the Blue, getting the win in all her sets. Emma Kay and Robert Williams were able to get a set on the board for Red Roses against the hard hitting Matty Lowe and Will McAllister, winning the match six sets to three. True Colours had to forfeit this week awarding Burnt Orange the seven points. The MTA committee were very grateful to the players who stepped in last minute to give Burnt Orange a match. Thursday night RAIN showers threatened and persisted for the start of Thursday night’s matches while new club president Robert Willliams warmly welcomed the players and informed everyone about match protocols and exciting new developments at the club. Many newcomers took to the courts for their first foray into competition. Michael McCormack led Let’s Dance into the fray with teammate and first timer Naima Crisp against Come Together. The pair made an impression taking their opening set six to four against Shane Richards and Kassy Thomas. Bob and Rhonda Carpenter introduced Zoe Richards and Bec Wardenaar to the game in their warmup before a fun filled set with everyone finding the scoreboard. Both teams warmed to the contest and improved their hitting and court movement throughout the match. Come Together won the match 6/34 to 1/13 but Let’s Dance took the prize for most fun. Their skills increased as confidence grew with every winning shot, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Changes Liza Karras, Jason O’Brien, Jo O’Brien, and Les Kerr began strongly by taking the first two sets, but Night Fever got hotter as the night progressed. Jenny Bell stepped in for the detained doctor and combined superbly with teammates Bron Sly, and newcomers Chelsea Dean and Courtney Purcell. Jenny and Courtney won their set six to three, and Jenny and Bron were convincing against Liza and Jason in the one to two clash winning six to one. Jo won all her sets for Changes six to four, six to zero and six to zero, giving her team the edge and the win 4/28 to 2/18 in an entertaining first night of competition. Smooth Operators were up against the strength of Let it Be in their opening match. Natalie Bergsma, Tim Vardy, Agnes Kay and Jodie Morrow found great form despite two being brand new to this competition. The sets were close with three six to four scorelines and one tiebreak. Arthur Gerrans, Ilena Meek, Brendan Purcell and Bec Studds gave their all but couldn’t get the chocolates until the end. Brendan and Bec were determined and took their set in a breaker eight to six for the Operators to claim one set for the night. Let it Be won 5/35 to 1/21 in an enjoyable hard-fought match. The rain held off on a warm evening and players socialized post-match. All were eager to bring their game for next week. Juniors and Hot Shots Junior Tennis hit its second week in a row with record numbers turning out. Thanks to all the parent helpers the players took to the courts and completed three to four sets of tennis to four games. Congratulations to our section winners Edwin Morphett, Jack Stevenson, Harrison Bergsma, Spencer Yencken, Abbie Kayssar, Archie Delany and Heidi Speirs. Coach Liam Delany was busy with the hot shot players and their parents who gave guidance and support on the blue court and spread to the grass beside.

Summer tennis competitions get underway

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