LOCAL TENNIS Donna Schoenmaekers
After two weeks off the court amid Victoria’s latest lockdown, tennis returned to Geelong on Saturday in almost perfect conditions.
With two rounds to go before finals, things could not be closer in the Section 6 boys.
At the start of the day, Geelong Lawn was top of the table, a point ahead of Waurn Ponds, four ahead of Barwon Heads and 10 ahead of Grovedale Black in fourth.
By the end of the round, the top three teams were separated by percentage alone on 66 points each.
Barwon Heads claimed top spot with a confidence-building 4-2 win over Geelong Lawn.
Barwon Heads started strong with Campbell Hutton and Max Creati taking their singles sets, but Archie Catanzariti and Sam Knights struck back to the level the sets, with Geelong Lawn just four games behind.
Barwon Heads did not waiver in the doubles, with Michael Sheridan and Jasper Delaney hitting back from their singles losses to take their doubles 6-3 and Hutton and Creati taking theirs 6-1 to seal the win.
Waurn Ponds hosted Grovedale Black in a match that went down to the wire with games deciding the result.
Ishan Phule and Ashton Hageman continued their unbeaten record in singles taking the first two sets for Black, before Ethan Terpstra and Katalia Mayes won their singles for Waurn Ponds to level the match at two-sets-all, with Grovedale ahead by three games.
Both doubles sets were tight with Grovedale getting on top in the first 6-4.
Waurn Ponds took the second in a tie-break, 6-5, to level the sets on three-all, with Grovedale scraping through for the win four-game lead.
In the other matches, Gabe Egan helped Grovedale Yellow take a 4-2 win over St Mary’s away from home, winning both his sets, and Drysdale-Clifton Springs improved their chances of moving up the ladder with a 4-2 win over seventh placed Highton.
Jaeger Fawcett was a standout at number one taking both his sets 6-3 in his team’s first win for the season.
In the lead up to finals, Grovedale Yellow still has a statistical chance of making fourth spot, but will have to overcome club rivals Black next week then Highton (7th), and rely on poor losses from the top teams.
Geelong Lawn has the best chance of finishing minor premiers with Drysdale-Clifton Springs (8th) and St Mary’s (6th) in its run home.
Waurn Ponds has a tough match this week with Barwon Heads, then finishes off with Drysdale-Clifton Springs.
But Waurn Ponds had a comfortable 4-2 win over Barwon Heads in their first meeting this season, so top spot remains a possibility.
Grovedale Black have club rivals Yellow and Barwon Heads on their radar, and will need to play well to ensure Yellow does not steal its place in the finals.
Barwon Heads has the toughest run with Waurn Ponds and Grovedale Black coming up.
While the side cannot lose its place in the finals, they will need to finish in the top two to secure a second chance, which might prove important with how close the teams are.
