More than 250 players from nine regions gathered in Wangaratta, with the Goulburn team at full strength and prepared to deliver an exciting competition.
And with Poole and Bassett progressing to Sunday’s men’s singles final, maximum points were on offer.
Both saw their semi-final opponents retire in warm conditions, but there was no stopping this contest from going the distance.
Poole, a 2022 winner in the singles, claimed the first set 6-3, but his Warriors teammate took honours in the second 6-4, forcing a tiebreaker.
Poole stood as the more experienced player, but a “high quality” third stanza went the way of an adaptable Bassett, who took a 10-6 victory and bragging rights back to the Warriors camp.
“David started off really well,” team manager Mark Mills said.
“We know he's a great player - he’s played college tennis over in the U.S.
“Jack had to try a few different things; he went really ultra-aggressive, started making huge forehands and big serves, so he was able to just get back into it that way.
“(It was) unbelievable tennis from Jack.
“(The third set) was a bit of a shootout. High-quality tennis across the whole weekend from those two boys.”
It was a different story in the men’s doubles, with Poole and Bassett coming together to claim more points for their region.
The duo met Lewis Murray and Deagan Tomkins in the final and prevailed 8-3, making it a successful tournament for the Numurkah pair.
They weren’t the only ones to walk away victorious, however.
Jarrod Bingham combined with Sam McKenzie-McHarg to win the 30–49 Men's Doubles 8-5, while Ella Rhode and Jeremy O'Brien continued a successful doubles run for Goulburn with victory in the under-25 mixed edition.
It was the same story in the under-18 boy’s doubles, with rising stars Kade Madigan and Lorenzo Rigoli joining the party.
Nine runner-up placings reflected a full team performance, handing Goulburn 280 points and third place at tournament’s end, enough to secure the region the Most Improved gong for 2026.
