Thomas Lawrence combined with Tague Saunders in the 12 and Under doubles event.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
The fifth annual All Stars Championship was held last week in Yarrawonga which brought some outstanding junior and open aged players to the region.
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There was even a coaching group from New Caledonia giving the tournament an international component. It was terrific to see so many locals competing in the tournament and they all played very well.
In the Open Mens section, local star Jack Bassett played extremely well to work through the rounds and make the final. He met Sydney tennis coach James O’Brien in the final.
Jack played very well and matched James in the first set before losing 6/4. James demonstrated his class in the second set to run away with the set 6/1. This tops off several tournament wins for James over the Summer period.
In the Open Womens, Shepparton’s Hope Curtis-McDonald took on Mornington’s Summer Jones in one of the best matches seen at the Yarrawonga courts. Hope won the first set 6/4 before Summer claimed the second 6/2.
After a rain delay, the super tiebreaker took place and this was simply stunning to watch. Hope eventually won 13/11 to achieve a memorable victory.
Local siblings Lucy Bassett and Tess Bassett both played very well to win the 16 and Under singles and 14 and Under singles respectively. Both completed many matches before claiming their titles. Tess also backed up her efforts to win the 14 and Under doubles in a close match.
After making the semis of the 14 and Under singles, Xavier Chessells teamed with Ian Dimble in the 16 and Under doubles. The boys played well to make the final and finish runners up.
Tague Saunders (pictured) paired with Thomas Lawrence where the boys made the final but were pipped 10/8 in the super tiebreaker.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
Thomas Lawrence and Tague Saunders combined in the 12 and Under doubles event. Their final was a sensational match with the boys eventually being pipped 10/8 in the super tiebreaker.
Tague backed up in the 14 and Under doubles and with his partner was successful in winning this event.
Thank you to Tournament Director Doug Smith for his outstanding organisation of the event. His background work prior to the event ensures everything runs smoothly. He as ably supported by a band of court referees.
Tess Bassett played very well in the 14 and Under singles and also won the 14 and Under doubles.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
Unfortunately, the millions made at the Australian Open does not filter through to regional tennis and as a result sponsors need to be recruited for these tournaments.
A special thank you to all of the event sponsors for supporting this event. These are all local businesses who always support our club.
The catering was again supplied by the Lions Club. Their generosity in giving their time to prepare and serve the food was appreciated by all.
A final thank you to people from the local club including groundsman Warrick and Rob who provide an amazing facility which is the envy of clubs throughout Australia.
Last but not least Gert Brunner is an amazing contributor to the club and she was there from dawn to dusk each day ensuring everything ran smoothly.
Thursday ladies
The second season of Thursday Night Ladies will commence on Thursday, February 1. This season will run for six weeks. It is hoped all players from this season will play again and new players are encouraged to join in.
Congratulations to competition organisers Narelle Bassett and Gert Brunner on running this competition. There was always a lot of laughter between some quality tennis.
Tuesday mens
Round 7 of Tuesday Mens tennis continued last week. It was evident many participants had been watching the Australian Open although not everyone was able to emulate their heroes on the court. There were many close rubbers and play finished in near darkness.
Match of the night was between ladder leader Maxwell and cellar dweller Zampa. The sets were shared 3 apiece and Maxwell were victorious on games by 4. Maxwell’s skipper Damian Cook was in great form and won each of his sets.
Cummins and Marsh mirrored the scoreline of the first match with sets shared and the same scoreline of a 4-game win for Marsh. Indicating how close the match was, no player was able to win all of their games.
Head flexed their muscle against Stoinis with a dominant 6 sets to 0 victory. For Head Fraser Bennett, Mike Lairson, Jermey Kelly and Simon De Oleveira were ruthless on the court.
In another match that saw a 6 sets to 0 win Starc was far too good for Inglis. Starc’s John Brunner, Dave Porter, John Arnold and Troy Sneddon have clearly been on the practice court.
With Warner’s Chris Page and Labuschagne’s Jack Bassett both absent as skippers the results were not entered into match centre. This will engage the wrath of competition organiser Ash Wheaton when he returns from his time away.
After round 7 the ladder is starting to take shape. Maxwell 40, Head 37, Starc 36, Hazelwood 27, March 27, Warner 26, Labuschagne 26, Cummins 24, Stoinis 23, Zampa 19 and Inglis 15.
At the end of the night players congregated on the deck to analyse the season to date. A very enjoyable feast of pizza sponsored by Waterside – Pizza, Pasta and Grill meant everyone stayed for a few refreshments.
Goulburn Murray Tennis
In Division 2, Cobram hosted Numurkah. Ladder leader Cobram indicated they are going to be very hard to beat with an 11 to 0 sets win. Daryl Bennett and Hayley Bennett both played very well to win all of their matches.
Division 1 returns on February 3 allowing players in this section to compete in other tournaments.
Rock up and play sessions
The YLTC holds social aggregate style tennis at four different times during the week. Each of these events provide the opportunity for new players to come and trial tennis prior to committing to becoming a member.
The main aggregate night is Friday night starting at 6pm. Other times where anyone can simply sign-in on the day are Saturday at 1pm for all players, Tuesday morning commencing at 9.30 for ladies and Wednesday at 9am for mens social hit.
There is no compulsion to attend each of these on a weekly basis although once you have tried it once it will be hard to not keep going back.
Saturday Junior Tennis
Saturday Junior Tennis will resume on Saturday, February 3. This program is envy of all other country clubs with over 200 kids playing on the courts each morning. All players who have previously registered will continue as they did prior to Christmas.
Any new players are more than welcome to register. There are three different options available.
Hot Shots is designed for 5- and 6-year-olds and has lots of modified games on smaller courts. Players then move to coaching where the fundamentals of the game are taught before they graduate to match play.
Godfathers Junior Tournament
Each year the Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club hosts the Godfathers Junior Tournament.
The tournament will be on Sunday, February 11. This tournament is designed for players starting to play tennis and all events are round robin in nature. All events are singles with the age groups being 8 and Under, 10 and Under, 12 and Under, 14 and Under and 16 and Under.
Players from other clubs in the region will attend and it is hoped that many local players will enjoy the morning.
Club Championships
The dates for the Club Championships have been locked in. The Junior Club Championships will take place during the regular Saturday morning program on Saturday, February 24. The Senior Club Championships will be on Sunday, February 25.
Easter Tournament
Plans are well underway for the 125th Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club’s Easter Tournament. This event will attract around 1200 players to the region over the four-day period.
Entries will open on February 1 and will close within hours. It is hoped that local players will participate as it is a great event.
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