LOCAL TENNIS with Donna Schoenmaekers
Rain played havoc with Tennis Geelong’s Junior and Senior Pennants on Saturday with a number of matches unable to be played or finished, including the match up between Surfcoast Jan Juc and Grovedale Yellow in Section 1 Boys.
The majority of the section was able to finish and the top four is closer now than at the start of the day.
Lara travelled to All Saints and enjoyed the trip. The team won the first three singles, and both doubles, with Isabella Saunders and Max Harbison winning the first 6-2 while Louis Smith and Charlie Portelli got up a tie-break, making Lara eventual winners five sets to one.
Despite the win Lara are 18 points out of the four with only two rounds remaining, leaving them unable to make finals.
It was a battle of second and fourth, when Ocean Grove crossed the bridge to play Barwon Heads. The first two singles were tough and long, with Max Creati taking the first in a tie-break for the Heads, while Jesse Ballagh did the same in the second for the Grove.
Paddy Moulton and Campbell Hutton put the Heads in front winning the third and fourth singles, before Creati teamed with Taj Davies to post the win after the first doubles, winning 6-0, although Ballagh and Rafael Berra took the Grove’s second set win 6-3. The 4-2 win pushed Barwon Heads into second one point ahead of the now fourth Ocean Grove.
Third placed Grovedale Black hosted ladder leaders Wandana Heights and the clash produced the closest match of the section. Wandana proved too strong in the singles with Axel Potter-Ayres, Xavier Willoughby and Finn Myers winning 6-0, 6-3, 6-1 while Joshua Johanson went down to Black’s Tom Sutherland 6-4.
While Wandana were on top in the singles, Grovedale proved the better doubles combinations with Sutherland and Oliver Plunkett winning the first 7-5, while Ashton Hageman and Riley van der Vliet won the second 6-3, leaving the teams level on sets, but Wandana ahead by seven games.
While the final four are now set with two rounds to play, there are only five points between first and fourth, and with the matches remaining, any of the teams could secure the minor premiership or a double chance come finals.
