TENNIS WINTER had truly set in after the school holidays and players were expecting washouts for their resumption matches across the district last Monday week. Much to everyone’s surprise, matches in Euroa, Benalla, Terip, and Mansfield went ahead. Fortuitously, the rain held off until the end of play and every match finished despite the wintry weather. In Euroa, Moglonemby hosted Seven Creeks and both teams gave it their all with lengthy, see-sawing sets across the day. Deb Seach, Marlene Hanrahan, Robyn Johnson, and Mary Kelly recovered from an early wobble to secure 3 sets and multiple games in the others. Rowena Ellis, Kelly Hill, Kerry Hewlett, and Genevieve Calvert would’ve been wondering ‘if only’ at the end when only one game separated the teams. Moglonemby 3-38 defeated Seven Creeks 3-37. Benalla prepared their grass courts for Delatite and provided sunshine for parts of the day. Kate Campbell, Claire Sharp, Maureen Jewell, and Wendy Maxwell got the jump on their visitors winning both openers. Delatite’s Jo O’Brien, Deb McCormack, and Deb Mims included replacements Agnes Kay from Wappan and Julie Harrington from Euroa for their contest. The replacement pair combined strongly going down 6-8. Benalla was all class on the grass, and everyone enjoyed the company, the lawn surface, and the hard hitting. Benalla 6-48 defeated Delatite 0-18 and moved into second spot on the ladder swapping places with Euroa who had the bye. Over in Terip Cindy Hayes, Frances Lawrence, Phoebe McDermid, and Jenny Martin had their work cut out against Mansfield’s Michelle Pigdon, Peta Kelly, Keira McDonagh, and Clare Beecham. Mansfield played with conviction to overcome the ladder leader. After the lengthy contest the rain bucketed down, and Mansfield 4-40 had defeated Terip 2-32. After heavy rain overnight the Mansfield courts were checked early then given the go ahead after a brushing to lift the sand from the damp synthetic grass. Creighton’s Creek arrived to take on Wappan with both teams keen to improve on results from their previous meeting – a draw. While lengthy battles ensued, players retreated to the warmth of the clubhouse between sets while waiting for the next one. Wappan’s Jenny Bell maximised her court time rallying superbly in every game, and combined strongly with all her partners: Rhonda Carpenter, Jenny Smith, and Di Berglin to win all her sets. In the other pairings, Gayle Furphy, Sue Vaughan, Ros Doxey, and Erica Mercer had the answers using superior court craft and placement to outmaneuver their opponents. Ros was dynamite on the net. Despite the bitter cold, the women were undaunted and layered up and down over the day to keep warm. Misty rain fell throughout the last set, but a serious downpour decently held off until the women had walked off the court. Creighton’s Creek 3-42 defeated Wappan 3-29 and swapped places with them to slot into fifth on the ladder.
