TUESDAY’s storms put an end to the competition’s Tuesday night semifinal when rain torrented down leaving puddles on the wet courts and players waiting and wondering. Coordinators grappled with the decision, and ultimately cancelled the matches. The top two sides Cicadas and Hornets would go through to the Grand Final. Wednesday’s weather was cold and windy, and four teams battled long and hard for their place in the big dance. Both Raiders and Bandidos needed replacements, and Dustin Ersvaer joined Jemma Purcell, Kimberley Marsden, and Sophie Yencken to take on the challenge for the top side. Nick Ferguson stepped in to support Bandidos’ Emma Kay, Ben, and Jo Brabazon, all playing their first final at MTA. Not wanting to let the team down, Nick found form with his serve and rhythm with the new teammates. Raiders were never giving up though and fought hard through two tiebreakers unlucky to lose both. Bandidos won 5/33 to 1/25 for their spot in the Grand Final. The O’Loughlan’s Outlaws faced Daykin’s Hustlers in an equally tough shoot out. Sets were split two each way before the final set showdown. Will McAlister had taken his first two sets, one in a tiebreak, with partners Matt Lowe and Chris Hewlett. Max O’Loughlan, however, was having a great night with his folks Mark and Courtney and won those sets 6-1and 6-0. The Outlaws outplayed the Hustlers in both final sets, beating them comfortably. They meet Bandidos for the final showdown of the season. Thursday night’s semifinals were fought in much milder conditions and the top sides were given a tune-up to prepare them for the last match of the season. Monopoly’s Alice Kilpatrick found Al Crockett, Carol Watts, and Suzie Wellborne from the non-competing teams for the final. The makeshift team played well, taking it right up to the Legends. Tony Canterbury, Arthur Gerrans, and Hanna Aldous had brought back Dan Dundas to replace the injured Ben Nally. Together Legends showed their class, but Al and Alice did not let them have it all their own way, winning 6-1 in the one and two pairings final set. Equalisers were free and relaxed and with nothing to lose turned up to play. Bob Carpenter was on fire with his teammates Steve Earp then Scott Ersvaer winning both sets 6-3. Checkers felt the heat of Scott’s blowtorch serve and his dazzling dashes to the net from the baseline. Feeling pushed the top side Checkers lifted for the final sets. Rach Parsons’ consistent play in the two-spot steadied the ship and Natalie Bergsma showed her class in the clinches. The Carpenters counterpunched, fought hard for the tiebreak but went down 4-6 after a lengthy battle with Jo O’Brien and Rach. Michael McCormack, Rach, Natalie, and Jo, won 4/30 to 2/23 in an entertaining tussle. They meet Legends on Tuesday night. Everyone is welcome to see what all the fuss is about on Tuesday night from 7pm. Six teams will play for a premiership for their night comp: Cicadas versus Hornets, Outlaws versus Bandidos, and Checkers versus Legends. Awards will be presented after the matches conclude. Come along for a few surprises! Junior tennis by Jo O’Brien On Saturday morning plenty of fun and games were had at the Mansfield Tennis Club during its final week of the season. All the kids loved taking their turn with a ball machine, kindly provided for the morning by a club member along with a speedometer on loan from Tennis Australia to see how quickly the balls were flying over the net. Congratulations to all our Junior Aggregate Competition winners Toby Gerrans, Tristan Fox, Henry Yencken, Angus Speirs, Spencer Yencken, and Archie Delany. The St Francis best and fairest trophies were also awarded to the very deserving Toby Gerrans and Mya Cios. It was also the last week for our Community Play Hot Shot Program. A big thank you goes to Liam Delany for stepping up and volunteering to run this extremely popular program and it was wonderful to acknowledge the efforts of our 5–9-year-olds with their participation awards. We also wish to congratulate our teenage volunteers Arthur Gerrans, Estelle O’Neil, and Josh O'Brien for completing their Tennis Australia Junior Trainee Coaching Qualification in Wangaratta over the weekend.
