Billie and Kiera Buerckner were part of the strong turnout at the ladies tennis over the weekend.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
The Thursday Ladies Competition got off to a fantastic start last week, with an incredible 15 teams of four taking to the courts. That means 60 ladies enjoying tennis every Thursday in a friendly, social atmosphere. It is the perfect combination for enjoying sport.
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Yarrawonga turned on perfect weather, and the standard of tennis was impressive, particularly considering there are 28 new players involved this season. With teams named after famous bands, there was also plenty of discussion about musical tastes throughout the evening.
In the battle of Australia's greatest bands, INXS proved too strong for ACDC, winning five sets to one. Gun junior Poppy Robinson and debutant Alainah Bye were standouts for INXS.
Cold Chisel and the Rolling Stones couldn't be separated on sets, finishing three apiece. Cold Chisel edged home by a single game in a tight contest, with no player managing to win all three sets.
KISS and Queen produced an almost identical result, with KISS claiming victory by a single game after the teams shared three sets each. Again, there were no three-set winners.
Pink Floyd defeated the Beatles four sets to one, with the final set abandoned at four-all as darkness set in. Michele Narayan came closest to winning all three sets for the night.
Guns N' Roses flexed their muscles with a four-sets-to-two victory over Fleetwood Mac. Star junior Izzi Porter was outstanding, winning all of her sets.
Bon Jovi also recorded a four-sets-to-two win over the Eagles, with Thursday night debutant Rachael Ewert producing an impressive performance without dropping a set.
In the final match, the Bee Gees defeated the Bangles four sets to two. Kirsty Skene continued her strong form, winning all of her matches.
After Round 1, the ladder is headed by INXS on seven points, followed by the Bee Gees, Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd and Bon Jovi on six. KISS and Cold Chisel sit on five, ABBA has four, Queen and the Rolling Stones have three, while the Bangles, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles and Eagles have two, with ACDC on one.
With 60 ladies involved each week, fill-in players are still needed. Any ladies interested in joining the fill-in list are encouraged to contact Narelle.
Wilby Tennis
The Wilby and District Tennis Association continued over the weekend, with Round 3 completed across the competition. Catering for a wide range of ages and abilities, the association has been developing some of the district's finest tennis players for many decades.
At Yarrawonga, it was a replay of last year's Grand Final, with Telford hosting Tungamah.
The men's section was extremely close, with both teams winning three sets. Telford eventually claimed victory by six games, despite a strong performance from Tungamah's Josh Buerckner, who won all of his sets.
Telford's strong ladies team won five of the six sets, with Kirsty Skene and Laura Nunn both undefeated. The mixed section was equally tight, with the sets shared two apiece and Telford edging home by three games. Telford won by 21 games overall to claim all eight competition points.
Mulwala hosted Savernake at Lonsdale Reserve on Friday night. Mulwala's men played extremely well to win five sets, but the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Paul Williams taking to the court alongside his two sons, Liam and Josh Williams. It was a special occasion for Paul, who was thrilled to share the court with his boys.
The ladies results went the other way, with Savernake winning five sets. Georgie Bruce and Finnin George were both undefeated for the visitors. Mulwala finished strongly in the mixed section, winning three sets to set up a nail-biting finish. Mulwala eventually claimed the night by three games, earning six points to Savernake's two.
Wilby recorded a win by forfeit, with Burramine unable to field a team for the Saturday afternoon match.
After three rounds, Telford sits on top of the ladder with 22 points, followed by Wilby on 18, Tungamah on 16, Savernake on eight, Mulwala on six and Burramine on two.
There will be a general bye this weekend for the Melbourne Cup long weekend, with the competition resuming the following week.
Kids having a ball
Tague Saunders swipes back a return serve.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
A warm morning greeted junior players on Saturday at Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club, and it was fantastic to see so many kids back on court enjoying their tennis. With 240 players registered across the various programs, the club is certainly buzzing, with parking now at a premium on Saturday mornings!
The Hot Shots program caters for novice players aged between five and seven, introducing them to the basics of tennis on smaller courts using low-compression balls. The 40-minute sessions combine skill development with fun games, keeping the kids entertained while helping them learn the fundamentals of the sport.
Parental assistance is vital to the success of this program, and it was terrific to see so many parents getting involved on Saturday morning.
The next step in the Saturday morning journey is the Coaching program, which caters for players aged between seven and ten. Club Coach Grant Kendall oversees this group, helping players further develop their skills and prepare for match play. There was plenty of enthusiasm on display, and the group looks set to make excellent progress throughout the season.
Match play numbers have once again reached impressive levels, with 95 players currently registered. Those in attendance were divided into groups of four or five, playing sets of doubles and getting plenty of opportunities to develop their match skills. There were some excellent rallies, with parents watching on clearly impressed by the standard of tennis on display.
Group winners were Frankie Morris, Tully Ellis, Ernie Buerckner, James O'Kane, Reid Humphry, Tom Bruce, Billy Manoj-Margis, Tom Hemphill, Tague Saunders, Tex Brady, Maeve Inchbold, Annabelle Sandral, Taylah Chessells, Maggie Cooper, Penny Perkins, Faith Stevenson, Lucinda Moar, Bailey Richardson, Sophie Dalrymple and Ziggy Clarke.
There will be no junior tennis next Saturday due to the Melbourne Cup long weekend. Premier League will commence on Saturday, November 7, providing an opportunity for the older players to test themselves in competitive matches.
There are still a few spots available in the 10.20 am Hot Shots and Coaching groups. Anyone interested in joining is encouraged to contact Lisa Linehan or Jason Bassett as soon as possible.
Goulburn Murray Tennis
The Goulburn Murray Tennis Association also completed Round 3 over the weekend, with Yarrawonga and Numurkah players enjoying another busy weekend on court.
Yarrawonga's Division 4 team hosted Tatura, with both sides enjoying the wonderful Yarrawonga courts.
Mike Lairson made his Division 4 debut and, alongside Xavier Chessells and Damien Cook, proved too strong for the visitors, winning all of their matches. The ladies combination of Angela Mitchell, Amy Lairson and Renee Byrne also played extremely well, dropping just one set for the day.
Yarrawonga finished strongly in the mixed section, winning all three sets to record a comprehensive nine-sets-to-one victory. The final games tally was equally convincing, with Yarrawonga winning 74–26.
Numurkah's Division 1 team took on Shepparton, with Yarrawonga Club Coach Grant Kendall making his debut for Numurkah. Grant struck the ball well but couldn't quite get across the line, losing two of his sets in tiebreakers.
Lucy Bassett also performed well against quality opposition, narrowly losing one of her matches in a tiebreaker. Numurkah battled hard throughout the day but eventually went down seven sets to five, with Shepparton winning the games tally 79–73.
Tuesday Men's Tennis
The ever-popular Tuesday Men's Competition will commence on Tuesday, November 10, with organiser Ash Wheaton putting the finishing touches on this season's teams.
Registrations have now closed, with players entering individually before being allocated to teams designed to provide competitive and evenly matched tennis. The competition runs through to early March and offers a terrific mix of tennis, socialising and fun.
With teams being organised, players can look forward to plenty of entertaining tennis each week. Anyone interested in getting involved in future seasons is encouraged to keep an eye out for registration details.
Rock up and play sessions
Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club offers social, aggregate-style tennis at several times throughout the week, providing a great opportunity for people to give tennis a go before committing to club membership.
Players can simply turn up and sign in on the day. The Tuesday morning ladies' session begins at 9.00 am, while the Wednesday men's social hit gets underway at 1.00 pm.
There is no pressure to attend every week, although once you have had a hit, you might find yourself looking forward to the next one!
There has never been a better time to get involved at Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club. With record numbers of juniors taking to the courts and a huge variety of competitions and social tennis sessions on offer, there really is something for everyone.
Whether you are looking to improve your game, enjoy some friendly competition or simply have a hit and a laugh, the club welcomes players of all ages and abilities.
