Friday evening marked the closing round of the home and away SDTA campaign, with five teams becoming four as the slate for preliminary bouts have been locked in.
One side heading in to the business end with its tail up is McEwen Reserve Red.
The Red Army were marching at full capacity against second placed side Lemnos in round 14, looking a class above their fourth ranking as they snared a massive confidence boosting scalp at home.
Ben Ladson and Greg Comer bested Arjen and Will Kop 6-2 in the opening rubber and both had hands to play in Red’s following men’s doubles triumphs.
But in the following phase, Lemnos’ women bit back hard.
The pairing of Sonal Shah and Jennifer Smith scraped past Red’s Debbie Hosie and Donna Whelan 6-5, with the travellers going on to secure the next two ties 6-3, 6-5.
It left Lemnos in a position of power heading into the mixed doubles, and though Shah, Smith and the Kops were on song and aided their side to two set victories, a 6-4 ninth rubber result went Red’s way, sealing the match in their favour 4-43 to 5-40.
Meanwhile, Shepparton North continued on its wrecking path against Murchison - and in a clash between the undefeated and the winless, this one was cut and dry.
The Northerners took all nine rubbers with relative ease, bagelling Murchison in four of those ties as the usual suspects - Clark Pettigrew, Dean Pritchett and Kellie Crosier - hit their forehands and backhands with wicked acumen.
North finished the night 9-54 to 0-10 up, keeping the spirits high ahead of this Friday’s prelim against McEwen Reserve Red at the Brauman St precinct.
A few courts over, a rested McEwen Reserve Gold will face Lemnos in the hopes of booking a grand final berth on February 27.
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