Reigning premiers Burramine hosted Tungamah Gold on Thursday night. Tungamah have entered two sides this season which is great for the competition.
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This promised to be a very even contest as these teams have been regular finalists of late. Unfortunately whilst in the first set of all the matches the heavens opened with a significant downpour that left the courts unplayable. Both teams sharing the points.
On Friday night Telford made the trip out to play Tungamah Green. Telford have been perennial finalists in the competition and were tipped to be prominent again.
Tungamah’s team consisting of only Buerckners, Coopers and Wrens flexed their muscle and after one round have become a very short, priced favourite for the flag.
In the mens section Tungamah won 5 sets to 1 with veteran Josh Buerckner and new recruit Tom Wren each winning 3 sets. In the ladies the contest was tight with the sets being split 3 apiece with Telford winning the ladies by a single game. Jenny Buerckner and Alice Cooper won 2 sets for Tungamah and Sandra Banks and Chris Hawkins won two for Telford.
The mixed sets were also split 2 all with Tungamah Green winning on games by 5. Overall Tungamah Green won the night 6 points to 2 points.
The second match on Friday night was the battle of the Lonsdale Reserve with Mulwala Gold taking on Mulwala Maroon. It is great to see Mulwala back to having two sides this season. Mulwala Gold appear to be comprised of players returning to tennis.
In the mens section Gold won 5 sets to 1 with Damo Cook and Tom Flannigan both remaining undefeated. The ladies were much closer with both teams winning 3 sets each with Maroon winning by 3 games. Skipper Beth Orr won all of her sets whilst for Mulwala Maroon Vanessa Norman, Kerryn Lyons and Zara Shaw won 2 sets.
At the commencement of the mixed matches there were some minor issues with the lights. After amateur electricians Rocky Leith and Dennis Phibbs investigated, the minor problem became major and the lights went out for the night.
With the mixed points split Mulwala Gold prevailed 5 points to 3.
Wilby made the trek to Savernake on Saturday to complete the round. On a day when most sport in the region was washed out it was great to see this match completed.
Wilby were too strong in the mens division claiming 5 sets to 1 with Anthony Hammond and Will Prescott winning all their sets. In the ladies division, once again the sets were split indicating the ladies are going to be very close this season across the competition. Wilby on the back of Amy Lairson, Helen White and Abbey Hammond winning 2 sets claimed the ladies by 1 game despite the efforts of Stacie Arnold who won all her sets.
Again in the mixed the sets were split 2 all with Wilby winning on games by 4. Wilby claiming the day 8 points to 0.
The ladder after Round 1 is Wilby 8, Tungamah Green 6, Mulwala Gold 5, Tungamah Gold 4, Burramine 4, Mulwala Maroon 3, Telford 2 and Savernake 0.
This week’s matches are Mulwala Gold vs Tungamah Green, Telford vs Savernake, Tungamah Gold vs Mulwala Maroon and Wilby vs Burramine.
Saturday Morning Juniors
The word about tennis continues to spread with the Saturday morning program enrolling the 200th player during the week. The growth of the program has Club Coach Greg Duns excited about the future of the club.
Greg continues to work with the junior coaches to develop sessions that will engage the participants. With current Club Champions Jack Bassett overseeing the coaching program and Lucy Bassett keeping an eye on the Hot Shots the enthusiasm is always high. It was great to welcome Fraser Bennett to the coaching ranks this week.
Both the Hot Shots and coaching groups have improved during the four sessions they have had to date. Parental involvement is essential and it is great to see this support through collecting balls or feeding balls to the players.
With the change in COVID-19 regulations, match play was able to commence this week. With an amazing 70 kids in attendance, organiser Lisa Linehan did a great job getting everyone on court in a timely manner.
There were two different types of competitions. The older players played 2 doubles and a singles match. The players that won their group using this format were Ian Dimble, Tess Bassett, Hayley Bennett, Lachie Kelly, Xavier Chessels, Rhys Burgess, Maisee Pell, Demi Rhodes and Harry Wren.
The younger players completed 3 sets of doubles with group winners being Sonny Sneddon, Tom Conway, Jackson White, Noah Cox, Viktor Lairson, Grace Cummins, Billie Buerckner, Keira Buerckner and Charlotte Seal.
With the numbers of players in matches so high, there is going to be a slight alteration to the regular format. The older players that would like to play 2 doubles and a singles set need to have their names in by 8.25 for an 8.30 start.
The younger players that will play 3 sets of doubles need to have reported in by 8.55 for a 9.00 start. This will allow the courts to be used to their capacity.
Junior Points Tournament
This weekend the club hosts the annual Yarrawonga Challenge. This tournament is a Bronze Level points event and will bring a strong field of Under 12 and Under 14 players from across Victoria and southern New South Wales.
This is the first tournament for juniors in Victoria since the commencement of lockdowns in June.
Local juniors Ian Dimble, Tess Bassett and Lucy Bassett have all entered. Good luck to these players and it is hoped they have an enjoyable weekend.
North East Veterans Tournament
On Sunday the first tournament of the popular North East Veterans Tournament was played in Euroa. Yarrawonga was well represented with Gert Brunner and John Brunner both winning their groups and Ellen Bruce coming a narrow second.
The next tournament is in Wodonga this Sunday. With entries open to players over the age of 30, it is a great way to enjoy a day of doubles tennis.
Thursday Ladies Tennis
Thursday night ladies competition organisers Gert Brunner, Amy Lairson and Narelle Bassett have recruited well to ensure another team is added to the league this year.
This year there will be 8 teams of four battling for supremacy. The beauty of this competition is it caters for all ages and abilities.
As number 1 players the competition includes local legends Angela Mitchell, Sandra Heaney, Amy Lairson, Gert Brunner and Erin York. These experienced players will be competing against young guns Lucy Bassett, Jess Linehan, Emma Thompson, Hayley Bennett and Tess Bassett.
The competition also includes players of a high calibre who may be a bit rusty early on in the season but always are worthy tennis companions.
This group includes Kirsty Skene, Pam Duff, Jerry Browning, Norma Toms, Lorraine Dean, Chris Hawkins, Ruth Macpherson, Loz Wallace, Narelle Bassett and Linda Cunningham.
Big improvers like Linsey Franklin, Kylie James and Win Win Htwe will certainly be watched closely. The growth of the competition is on the back of some outstanding returning players Kirsten Williams, Lisa Thompson and Jenelle Bennett.
The unknown abilities of new players Kim Sneddon, Sarah Govan, Kylie Koeman, Danielle Lawrence, Tanya Burgess, Lisa Ramadge may determine the finals make-up.
A great season is assured with the competition commencing on Thursday November 11. Fill-ins are regularly sought and names can be added to the fill-in list without the obligation of playing each week.
Tuesday Mens Tennis
The Tuesday Mens Competition commenced on Tuesday November 9. A detailed report including an analysis of the form or lack of form will be in the paper next week.
Wednesday Social Fast Four Tennis
Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club’s Social Fast Four Tennis teams event will commence on Wednesday. This was delayed a week after a cancellation due to wet weather was a little premature last week. Most will blame the scribe for making an incorrect call but in fairness the true villains are the Bureau of Meteorology and the three local farmers that guaranteed significant rain was going to wash the night out.
This week promises to be awesome with 26 teams filling the court for a night of banter and laughter.
Rock up and play sessions
The YLTC holds social aggregate style tennis at four different times during the week. Each of these events provide the opportunity for new players to come and trial tennis prior to committing to becoming a member.
The main aggregate night is Friday night and this continued last Friday. The 20 players in attendance enjoyed a social hit with many picking up the racquet for the first time for the season.
This Friday night, arrive just before 6pm and enjoy a relaxed competition catering for all standards.
The other times where anyone can simply sign-in on the day are Saturday at 1pm for all players, Tuesday morning commencing at 9.30 for ladies and Wednesday at 1pm for mens social hit.
There is no compulsion to attend each of these on a weekly basis although once you have tried it once it will be hard to not keep going back.