Summer has finally arrived in the Limestone Coast and the Mount Gambier and District Tennis Association players enjoyed their first taste of the warm weather at the weekend, taking to the courts in pristine conditions.
The D Boys grade faced a warm Saturday morning start, with Reidy Park and Uniting facing off at Olympic Park in close matches.
Strong rallies and hits tested some of the Reidy Park players, but the boys were able to make the most of it in a great display of tennis action.
Taj White recorded a 5-1 victory against Kane Harris, Owen Schofield defeated Nash Neilson with the same scoreline of 5-1, Seb Grubb secured a narrow win of 5-4 over Oliver Howes and Doug Mills recorded another victory for his side 5-2 against Finnegan Erakencho.
White and Neilson did their part for their side in the doubles action, locking down a 5-3 win against Harris and Schofield, while Grubb and Erakencho emerged victorious 5-4 against Howes and Jace Martin.
The two teams ended up the day’s competition locked in a tie at 3-3 sets a piece, but Uniting managed to creep over the line by a three-game winning margin, 24-21 games.
Glencoe and Mil Lel’s match at Glencoe Tennis Club proved to be a good omen for the home side, with the on-court knowledge proving too strong with the scoreline reading 27-11 games at the end of the day’s competition.
The positions on the ladder remain the same for another week in the D Boys competition, with Uniting well-placed at the top of the table, Glencoe slotting in behind in second position, Mil Lel following in third and Reidy Park rounding out fourth place.
In Division 2, Mil Lel brought Glencoe to its house, but Glencoe was a tough team to get across.
Sam Auld scored a 6-1 victory over opponent Craig Moody, CJ Arnold defeated Mark Feetom 6-3, David Cole downed Jason Brooks 7-5 after a tight battle, Jorja Douglas was too strong for Ruth Thami to claim a 6-3 win, Abbie Cocks was successful over Jessica Douglas, 6-1 and Alison Auld claimed a 6-1 against opponent Aleshia Pearson.
Glencoe was able to continue its fight throughout the match and walk away eventual winners 59-52 games against Mil Lel.
Following the weekends competition, Mount Gambier sits atop the ladder in prime position with Glencoe second, Mil Lel in third with West Gambier, Reidy Park and Suttontown in tow.
In the main game Division 1 action Reidy Park and Uniting put on a solid display of tennis with the final score 52-49, while Glencoe was too strong for Mount Schank, recording a 60-42 win for its efforts while West Gambier and Centrals/Uniting/Gambier also took to the courts over the weekend.
Glencoe is maintaining its good form to stay afloat on the top step, while Centrals/Uniting/Gambier sits second, West Gambier in third and Reidy Park, Uniting and Mount Schank rounding out the ladder.
At the halfway point of the 2022/23 competition players will be looking to sharpen up their skills before the Christmas break before returning to the courts late in January to play out the remainder of the season.
