Poised: Tropics’ Tanner Hunter.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Bragging rights were up for grabs at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club on Saturday as two of its teams - Tropics and The Valley - battled it out in a gripping Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association division one clash.
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A match that had major ladder implications, it was the Tropics that ended up prevailing, with a 7-71 to 5-57 win solidifying their spot in third as the run to finals begins to heat up.
A tight contest from beginning to end, three victories by number one David Poole proved the difference between the two sides, while number two Jeremy O’Brien was also impressive in recording two crucial victories.
Zeroed in: Tropics' Jeremy O'Brien.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Desperation: The Valley's Ella Rohde.
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Rechelle Zammit
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Fine form: Tropics' Anna Reynolds.
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Rechelle Zammit
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Serving up: The Valley's Matt Crittenden.
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Rechelle Zammit
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Unleashing havoc: The Valley's Will Rohde.
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Rechelle Zammit
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Ready to roll: Tropics' Nathan Mitchell.
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Rechelle Zammit
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In the zone: The Valley's Luke Turcato.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
In terms of the standouts, Hunter said it was the work of Poole and O’Brien in their singles ties which paved the way.
“It really helped having David Poole in, they changed their men’s line-up around a bit to try and skew some results that they didn’t get last time,” he said.
“But with Dave and Jeremy O’Brien up the top for us they really capitalised with some big wins that in turn set us up for getting the win.”
While the end result was a disappointing one for The Valley, they did get standout performances from some of their key players.
Men’s number three and number four Matt Crittenden and Luke Turcato were sensational in their respective ties, recording victories to the tune of 8-2 and 8-3.
Top women’s singles player Holly Curtis-McDonald did the job 8-2 and number two Ella Rohde got up in an 8-7 nail-biter.
But it was not enough for The Valley to secure the win, as it lost five of the six doubles matches.
As a result, The Valley now sits in fifth spot on the division one ladder with one victory to its name.
Elsewhere, Numurkah Warriors flexed their muscles with a clinical 10-92 to 2-50 win over Shepparton Lawn Average Joes.
The Warriors were buoyed by the performance of Lucy Bassett, who played a hand in three of her team’s 10 rubber wins.
Kyabram-Echuca rounded out the winners’ list, with its 8-81 to 4-65 victory over Velvet Tigers solidifying its position atop the ladder.
