The Tennis Victoria Champions Dinner was held at The Pullman Ballroom in Albert Park last Friday and the Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club Easter Tournament was one of three tournaments nominated for the Most Outstanding Tournament. The other tournaments were the Loy Yang International from Traralgon and the Victorian Grasscourt Seniors Championships.
The host for the night, Todd Woodbridge, held an informal discussion with former world number four player Jelena Dokic that had the nearly 400 attendees captivated.Following this interview, Todd invited Jelena to assist with presenting the next award for Most Outstanding Tournament. The crowd clapped politely for each of the nominees, with the Traralgon tournament hoping to go back to back after winning last year.
In the crowd were numerous people who had played at the Yarrawonga Easter Tournament and the clapping and shouting multiplied when the Yarrawonga name was read out as the final nominee.
A hush came over the ballroom as Todd started with those famous words “And the winner is………the Yarrawonga Easter Tournament”.
The YLTC committee members and the two greenkeepers, Warwick Henderson and Rob Payne made their way to the stage to collect the award from Jelena Dokic. Rob commenting that it made all those 45-degree days sitting on the mower worthwhile.
YLTC President Daryl Bennett said the award was great recognition for everyone involved over the 121 years that the tournament has been running.
“It highlights the quality of the tennis courts prepared by Warwick and Rob,” Daryl said.
“It also recognises the countless hours of work that many club members put in leading up to and over Easter to make the tournament the success it is.
“Also, without the support of our sponsors, including our major sponsor, Simply Caravans, we couldn’t be as innovative with our grading and prizes,” he said.
Tennis Victoria award the Most Outstanding Tournament Award to the tournament that provides a high standard of player amenities and engages sponsors and the local community.
The team behind the tournament must be proactive and dedicated to providing a positive and thriving tournament atmosphere for the players. Which sums up the Yarrawonga Easter Tournament perfectly.
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