The final round of the season was the best yet in the Naracoorte SportsPower Southern Ports Tennis League.

With all matches able to influence finals positions it was a tense round for many teams.

Play kicked off Friday night when Naracoorte took on Frances-Lucindale Eagles and continued on Saturday with the rest of the matches.

Naracoorte – 8-86 lt.

Frances-Lucindale Eagles 16-140

The warm weather subsided by 6pm for Naracoorte to host Frances-Lucindale Eagles under lights, with both teams vying for top spot and a place in the Division 1 grand final.

The Eagles led the night early with convincing wins in the mixed, with four matches won either 6-0 or 6-1.

For Naracoorte, Max Malone/Kelsie Moyle-Read were the only winners, holding on to win the set in a tiebreaker.

The Eagles continued the good form in the singles with 6-0 wins to Mark Woods, James Crossling, Bob Williams and Flo Bergwin putting the win in their sights.

Naracoorte did not give up, the Moyle-Read family members winning all three of their singles matches while additional sets from Max Malone, Steve Biggins, Logan Smith and Lucy Midwinter had Naracoorte only trailing by two sets heading into the doubles.

Naracoorte burst out of the box, taking the lead in multiple doubles, however after a rain delay stopped play for 15 minutes, the Eagles were able to turn it around and win the final sets needed to secure the number one spot.

Three set winners for the night were Mark Woods, James Crossling, Bob Williams, Flo Bergwin and Mon Van Dyk, all from the Eagles.

While Kelsie Moyle-Read was the sole player from Naracoorte to win all three.

Lucindale Koalas 24-163 d. Penola 0-40

Needing a convincing win to take a place in the Division 1 final, Lucindale Koalas did not disappoint, playing strong performances across the board, making Penola work hard just to get games.

One notable match of the day though was Ware and McGrath, with Ware winning 6-4.

Bailey tried desperately to gain Penola a set but fell just short, 5-7 to A. Wood.

Robe Roosters 8-96 d. Kingston 16-139

Kingston also entered the final round pushing for a division 1 spot, playing the Robe Roosters at Robe in windy conditions.

It was a tight tussle all day with both teams missing key players and Kingston came out of the gates strong, winning five sets of mixed doubles.

The men’s singles were in favour of Kingston five sets to one, with Shaun Mules enduring a long, tough match against Peter Obst, Mules winning 7-5.

Lisa Hall and Alex Menz played for an hour in a great match, Hall winning 7-5.

A great men’s double rounded out the day, entertaining the crowd with Menz/S. Mules defeating Rains/Obst, 10-8. Kingston won the day 16 sets to 8.

Lucindale Wombats 11-115

lt. Robe Rebels 13-117

The Rebels were seeking a place in the Division 3 final with a win meaning it would all come down to the Beachport game.

The Rebels came out strong winning four out of six mixed doubles, with Robe’s Jed Regnier and Andrew Brown having a convincing win over Chandler Smart and Brittany Voss.

Robe’s number twos George Pretlove and Kimberley Austin won in a close tiebreaker against Adrian Maywald and Toby Longbottom.

With the Wombats winning five of the men’s singles, it brought the scores back to a level playing field.

The Wombats’ Mitchell Baker and Peter Stock had convincing wins while Samuel Crocker and Jesse Robertson had a close game, Crocker winning 7-5.

The Robe ladies won four of their singles – with Michelle Smith securing a convincing win over Alexandra King.

It was a close day and came down to the doubles – with Robe winning four out of six doubles.

The match of the day being the five and six men’s doubles, Robe coming away with a win in a tiebreaker.

The final score going Robe’s way 13 sets to 11.

Beachport d. Lucindale Cockatoos

Beachport hosted the Cockys on yet another lovely day at arguably the #1 hard court complex along the coast.

Despite early concerns about heavy cloud cover and a fresh 10mm of rain overnight, the courts were dry and the radar showed favourable conditions.

The stakes were high, given Beachport was looking to lock in sixth position on the ladder and ensure a spot in the division three final the following week as the Rebels could not be trusted to lose its must-win game against the Wombats.

The day started evenly with the top three mixed doubles sets going the Cockatoos’ way, however Beachport managed to level the score winning the bottom three in a similar fashion.

Afternoon tea made its way to the table for a tactical early appearance, tempting the opposition to slow themselves down prior to the singles matches.

Beachport started to stretch out a lead through the singles, finishing nine sets to three.

Despite taking out the top order mixed doubles 7-5, Matt Waugh and Sally Schultz fell short to Noah Lang and Allanah Mueller 6-0 and 7-6 respectively.

Jake Harris’ highly anticipated return to the side was interrupted by Jack Grundy who took the chocolates 6-2.

Mark Buckett took to the court a bit too quickly after one of Maddie Redman’s delicious sausage rolls, before finally succumbing to Darcy Bateman 6-4.

Emily Watson and Maddie Redman led the charge for Beachport for the day, both being the only players to take away three wins from three sets while Andy Buckett and Clare Garner took the same honours for the Cockatoos.

All attention now turns to the big games,, with all grand final teams now set.

With matches moved to Lucindale, the grass will certainly play a role in deciding the winners for each division.

Division 1: Frances-Lucindale Eagles v Lucindale Koalas

The Eagles have looked unstoppable in the run home to the final, only dropping 25 sets in the last five matches.

Their team against Naracoorte was impressive, with players to come back into the side they look to be tough competition.

However, the ‘grass-court specialists’ on the Koalas team could cause the Eagles some problems.

Keep an eye on the number one men’s single between Mark Woods and Sam Graetz – it’s sure to be a thriller.

Division 2: Kingston v Naracoorte

Naracoorte will be looking to take home the Division 2 final after falling from the top two in the final minor round.

When these two teams last met, Naracoorte won 14 sets to 10.

However, Kingston’s men could prove challenging.

With Matt Menz, Shaun Mules and Lou Ledig leading the charge, Naracoorte will be looking to score sets in the mixed doubles and the ladies singles.

Division 3: Lucindale Wombats v Beachport

In the final division, the Wombats will be tough to beat on the lawn.

But after an up-and-down season, if Beachport pull out a full team of Batemans and Langs, the game could go either way.

Play starts at 12.30pm with the Division 2 and 3 mixed doubles.

From 1pm, the Division 1 spectacle will be under way on the centre courts.

Presentations will commence during dinner inside the Country Club with awards for the best players and winners to be announced.