Normal service continued in the seventh round of the 2021-22 Mount Gambier and District Tennis Association Division 1 season on a sunny Saturday.

Leading teams Centrals/Uniting and Reidy Park extended their advantage at the top of the ladder as the early premiership favourites.

The closest contest of the weekend took place at Corriedale Park where Centrals/Uniting outfit met a spirited West Gambier side looking to close the gap on the ladder.

However, the home side enjoyed a convincing start thanks to team leader and association president Andrew van den Hurk.

Van den Hurk dominated his battle with Brady Cook six-love which got the ball rolling for the home team.

Another comfortable win went the way of Centrals/Uniting’s Nick Thomas against Ty Lang, while Ashlea Dunn had a fight on her hands with Jessica Stutley, but eventually prevailed 7-7.

However, West scraped hard and took the fight to its fancied rivals in the other singles games.

Noah Lang went toe for toe with Centrals/Uniting rookie Ian Hopes and the West player got the job done by a two-game margin.

But the battle between Karen Mitchell and Jo Sealey was even tighter.

The contest went down to a tiebreaker and West veteran Sealey used every ounce of her experience to emerge victorious.

The final singles stoush was another closely-fought affair between Jade Delaney and Laura McIntyre.

On her home court Delaney tried her best, but could not prevent rookie McIntyre from scoring an important 6-4 win.

With the scoreboard locked at 3-3, West was licking its lips of a potential upset.

However, Centrals/Uniting showed its class in the doubles to ice the contest.

The rampage was set up by van den Hurk, who was dominant in his two doubles games winning 6-2 with Hopes and 6-0 with Thomas.

It gave can den Hurk’s playing partners all the confidence in the world to win their doubles game against the Lang pair.

West’s pain then continued when the females hit the court.

Mitchell and Vanessa Maxwell were in fine form disposing of Stutley and McIntyre by four games.

Delaney and Maxwell’s victorious battle with Sealey and McIntyre went down to the final game, but the Centrals/Uniting duo emerged on top 7-6.

The only joy West experienced in the doubles was courtesy of Stutley and Sealey.

The pair combined well to knock off Delaney and Mitchell by two games.

But it was not enough as Centrals/Uniting recorded a comfortable 8-4 victory to cement its place in the top two.

On Sheperdson Road Reidy Park reminded last year’s minor premier Glencoe why it is the favourite to steal the latter’s crown.

The ladder leaders were in complete control all afternoon winning by the convincing eight-set margin.

However, Glencoe was the first to hit the scoreboard after a tight battle between the opposing captains.

Respective Reidy Park and Glencoe team leaders Zayne Young and Dylan Childs fought for bragging rights across a series of entertaining rallies.

Eventually the honours went to Childs after he secured a hard-fought 6-4 win.

But wins proved as rare as hens teeth for Glencoe as Reidy Park seized the initiative and ran away into the distance.

Cade Kelly out-gunned Tim Biggins 7-5, while Joel Childs won double the amount of games than his opponent Cameron Brooks.

Both all Edwards battles went the way of Reidy Park too as Sharon Edwards was a class above Laura Edwards winning 6-2.

But Emily Edwards had a much tougher time overcoming Sarah Edwards with the former being forced to win seven games just to claim the set.

All the wins put Reidy Park in a dominant position as the doubles approached and the confidence continued through the afternoon.

Childs and Will Hann were no match for Young and Kelly, while the latter also teamed up with Kelly to win runner nine by the same 6-1 margin.

Childs was also successful with his captain scoring double the amount of games as Biggins and Brooks, while Reidy Park’s Edwards duo outclassed Alice Tentye and Sarah Edwards.

Reidy Park’s dominant day was wrapped up by Jayme Young and Sharon Edwards, who knocked over their opponents 6-1 in the final rubber of the day.

Glencoe’s only doubles delight was produced by Laura and Sarah Edwards, who defeated Emily Edwards and Jayme Young 6-3.