LOCAL TENNIS with Donna Schoenmaekers
Tennis is back to full capacity this week with Triples having started a new season on Thursday night, Women’s Doubles Monday night, Junior and Senior Pennants this Saturday and recommencement of Tuesday Women’s after the holiday break.
Round 11 saw teams in Section 1 vying for position with four weeks left before finals.
Ladder leaders Torquay Black were looking to stay ahead of club rivals Torquay Yellow in their match against fourth placed Barwon Heads. Both teams shrugged off illness and post-school holiday malaise to battle it out in cool conditions.
Despite the post-COVID, cold and flu recovery and a rebound from injuries which beset both teams, Torquay prevailed winning four sets to two and maintaining top spot.
Torquay Yellow are hot on Black’s heels, but knew they would have their work cut out against third placed Moriac, who won their first encounter in Round 4, and with only 3.5 points separating the teams, second spot was up for grabs. Black made the most of the home court advantage starting well winning the first two set 6-0, 7-5, before Moriac put themselves on the board in the fourth, and while Yellow ran out winners five sets to one, but with two wins at 7-5, and with a little extra luck going Moriac’s way, things could have been very different.
Geelong Lawn kept in finals contention when they travelled to Drysdale to play Ocean Grove White. The first two sets were hard fought, with many rallies and plenty of net play, although Jill Pavia took it to the extreme with the first service game of the second set lasting 20 minutes, with the players in the first set changing ends at 4-3 as it concluded.
While Lawn lost that game, they then went on to win the set 6-1, along with the first set 6-3.
From there the teams were evenly matched with Lawn eventual winners four sets to two.
The final match of the day saw Ocean Grove Blue travel to Winchelsea, with Winch still an outside chance of sneaking into the four. The teams traded blows and after the first four sets, were tied at two apiece and Blue ahead by four games. From here, Winch took charge, winning the final two sets, giving them a 4-2 win and putting them into sixth.
With three rounds to play, there is still plenty to play for with five teams in serious contention and even Ocean Grove Blue and Winchelsea still within reach if things go their way.
