Tennis Geelong’s Saturday junior and senior Winter Pennants begin this week with almost 800 players set to take the court.
The junior competition has 124 teams split into 18 sections from over 30 clubs.
A number of clubs have had players age out, which will see Section 1 Boys and Girls looking very different from last winter, providing a great opportunity for a number of others to step up.
Last winter’s finalists from Section 2 – Grovedale, Ocean Grove White and Ocean Grove Blue GL S4 to S2 – have been promoted, to join previous contenders Geelong Lawn and Wandana Heights, and summer teams from Moriac and Drysdale.
Section 1 Girls will see Geelong Lawn, Wandana Heights and Surfcoast Torquay competing again with some changes to the line ups from last winter, with Beachside and Barwon Heads graduating from Section 2 to join them.
The senior competition has 75 teams split into 10 sections from over 20 clubs, with three sections of Open, 3 of Men’s and 4 Mixed. With the addition of the Open competition for the first time in winter, the draw looks very different from last year.
Waurn Ponds, Grovedale, Highton and Moolap will again face off in 1 Mixed, joined by last year’s Section 2 premiers Wandana Heights, as well as second teams from Highton and Moolap.
Section 1 Men looks very different from last winter, with Newcomb and Hamlyn Park fielding teams with different faces, while Geelong Lawn, Clifton Springs, Ocean Grove and two teams from Bannockburn are returning after successful seasons in summer.
There are 22 teams in the first winter Open format, with many of the teams following up from the summer season.
Section 1 will see Surfcoast Torquay play off against Moolap, Wandana Heights White and Blue, Highton and Ocean Grove, which have come up from Section 2, and Clifton Springs from Men’s 1.
It is shaping up for a competitive season across both competitions with plenty of known form and a good splash of new blood. With finals scheduled to start in August, teams have time to settle in and prove themselves.
