Sun shines on opening rounds of winter tennis in Benalla

WEEK ONE GLORIOUS sunshine greeted players for their opening-round matches of the Euroa and District Winter Women’s Competition held in Benalla on Monday, 29 April. Hosts Benalla, the designated bye team, welcomed every side with superbly prepared courts, a warm clubhouse and generous hospitality. Smiling faces were plentiful as players met briefly before heading onto the lawn for what would become a long, hot day of closely contested matches. Seven Creeks’ Rowena Ellis and Nicola Enright began strongly against Chris Ellis and Ros Doxey, winning their opening set 8-1. However, Creighton’s Creek settled, and together with Benalla’s Claire Sharp and Moglonemby’s Lyn Johnson, combined well to take all remaining sets, finishing the match 5/41 to 1/17. Moglonemby faced Delatite, who welcomed back their mainstay, Deb Mims, after two years away. Mims showed she had not lost her touch, winning both her sets convincingly alongside teammates Carolyn Murray and Natalie Bergsma. The determined Moglonemby team did not disappoint, taking the other sets in tight contests. Judy Sands, Sue Vaughan, Danielle Scotis, and Lisa Krepp outlasted Delatite to win 4/36 to 2/30. Euroa met Wappan in the longest match of the day, and Lyndall Bigland, Faye Mollison, Julie Harrington, Mary Dewis, and Ruth Nolan brought their best tennis to the strategic contest. Wappan’s Anna Speirs, Rhonda Carpenter, Carol Watts, and Kass Thomas pushed them hard, with newcomers Carol and Kass impressing on debut. Anna and Carol won their set 8-6, Carol and Kass lost 6-8, and Anna and Kass remained on court well after most had left for refreshments, narrowly losing in a tiebreak. Euroa’s experience proved decisive, winning 5/46 to 1/33. Mansfield met Terip in the closest match of the day. As the temperature rose, so did the intensity. The teams split the sets evenly, with only a handful of games separating them. Players enjoyed deep groundstrokes, stretched for balls on adjacent courts and battled hard under the sun. Ultimately, Terip’s Cindy Hayes, Frances Lawrence, Bec Lyttle, and Phoebe MacDermid emerged victorious 3/38 to 3/34. Next week, Mansfield will host Euroa, Terip will host Benalla, Seven Creeks will host Moglonemby, and Creighton’s Creek will welcome Wappan in Euroa. The draw for the Winter Competition is available at: play.tennis.com.au/mansfieldtennisassociation/Competitions/Euroawinter In Mansfield, social tennis continues each Wednesday at 1pm and 7pm. WEEK TWO CREIGHTON's Creek welcomed Wappan, while Seven Creeks met Moglonemby for their matches on the magnificently manicured lawn surface in Euroa on Monday, 6 May. Wind gusts on the warm day made the contests highly entertaining. Creighton’s Creek’s Chris Ellis, Roz Doxey, Julie Brook, and Lyn Johnston faced Wappan’s Natalie Bergsma, Jenny Bell, Liza Karras, and Rhonda Carpenter in a lengthy battle of hard-hitting play. The Mansfield visitors found the lawn to their liking and took the first four sets with clever courtcraft and sharp angles, including a massive comeback by Natalie and Liza from 3–6 down to win 8–6. In the final sets, Wappan players were distracted watching their teammates’ game on the adjacent court, lost focus, and the set 8–2. Chris and Lyn caught them napping and made the most of the lapse with strong form. Wappan won 5/42 to Creighton’s Creek 1/30. Moglonemby’s Judy Sands, Sue Vaughan, Danielle Scotis, and Lisa Krepp played against Seven Creeks’ Rowena Ellis, Gayle Furphy, Mary Kelly, and Jill Hayes in a tightly contested match. The pairs combined strongly, with the opening sets going each way. Moglonemby took the next two sets, while the final pairs split theirs again. Moglonemby won 4/43 to Seven Creeks 2/27 in a lengthy match, moving them into second place on the ladder. Euroa travelled to Mansfield for the closest match of the day. Mansfield’s Michelle Pigdon, Keira McDonagh, Clare Beecham, and Sophie Yencken shared the sets three-all with Euroa’s Lyndall Bigland, Faye Mollison, Ruth Nolan, and Lyn Pierce, but Euroa finished four games ahead when final scores were tallied. Euroa won 3/34 to 3/30 to seize third spot on the ladder. Terip welcomed Benalla for a fine day of tennis on the plateau. Cindy Hayes, Frances Lawrence, Phoebe MacDermid, and Melissa MacDowell were convincing in every set. Benalla’s Claire Sharp, Maureen Jewell, Deb Siggers, and Wendy Maxwell toiled hard, but Terip won the day 6/48 to 0/19. Delatite had the bye. This year, Euroa has made changes to its teams by mixing them up. Ladder after Round two: Terip 17, Moglonemby 16, Euroa 16, Creighton’s Creek 10, Wappan 10, Mansfield 6, Seven Creeks 3, Delatite 2, Benalla 0. The dedicated volunteers on the Mansfield Tennis Association committee met at the Delatite Hotel on Monday night to review the past season and plan for the next. The annual general meeting will be held in September and those keen to contribute can write to mansfieldtennisassoc@gmail.com outlining how they might support the club. Night coordinators, team selectors, and event volunteers are always needed to help manage summer competition. A Pickleball Social Competition will be launched in October. Those interested can contact Liza Karras at lizakarras@bigpond.com by Friday, 30 May 30 to offer support to the sub-committee being formed. For more information, visit the club’s website: https://play.tennis.com.au/mansfieldtennisassociation Club coach Liam Delany can be contacted for coaching on 0425 711 412.