Our Hot Shots players continue to enjoy a wide range of fun activities each week, with this week’s highlight being an obstacle course to finish each session.
Armed with water pistols, the players ensured many participants finished quite wet, and it was noted that the coaches may +have been even more soaked!
The coaching groups also enjoyed their end-of-year finale, showcasing some fantastic shot-making.
It has been impressive to watch the continued improvement across these groups, with several players set to graduate into match play in the new year.
A big thank you to our coaches for their ongoing support and dedication.
Before match play commenced, trophies were presented to the Kangaroos, winners of the Premier League competition, and the Tigers, who finished as runners-up.
The next Premier League season will begin in February.
Match play featured the extremely popular Parent/Child Doubles, with an unbelievable turnout of 65 pairs. It was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, siblings and family friends supporting our juniors on court.
Seeing so many smiling faces enjoying a sport that can be played for life makes organising these activities incredibly rewarding. Pleasingly, there were no injuries reported by parents!
The junior program will now pause for the Christmas break, with Junior Tennis resuming on Saturday, January 31. A reminder that the courts remain open for practice throughout the holidays.
Wilby and District Tennis
Round 9 of the Wilby and District Tennis Association was played on Friday night in a Gather Round format, with all matches hosted at Yarrawonga.
Due to other commitments, Mulwala was unable to field a team against Burramine.
Tungamah and Savernake enjoyed a competitive and entertaining contest. Savernake’s men combined well to win all six sets, with Cam Arthur, Jason Ross, Finn Bruce and Ed Withers all in fine form.
Tungamah’s ladies fought back strongly to win five sets to one, with Kiera and Billie Buerckner both undefeated. Tungamah also claimed the mixed sets three to one.
Overall, Savernake won by eight games, 74–66, with the points shared evenly at four apiece.
In the second match of the night, Wilby faced Telford. Telford’s men, Andrew Banks, Andela Mitchell, John Wright and Brett Lawrence, were dominant, winning six sets to nil.
The Telford ladies also combined well, winning five sets to one, with Sandra Banks and Emma Pearce remaining undefeated.
Telford then swept the mixed sets to secure all eight points.
After Round 9, the ladder stands as follows:
Telford 57, Tungamah 51, Savernake 42, Burramine 36, Wilby 17, Mulwala 13.
The Wilby competition will now break for Christmas, with play resuming on Friday, January 30.
Tuesday Men’s Tennis
Round 5 of Tuesday Men’s Tennis was played last week under perfect conditions, with the courts in outstanding shape.
Despite this, there were still plenty of mishits and frames, adding to the friendly banter on court.
This week marks the final round before the Christmas break, followed by pizzas, refreshments and a review of the first half of the season.
Laver and Becker shared the sets three apiece, with Laver declared the winner by four games. Becker captain Sean Robinson was outstanding, winning all of his sets.
Djokovic defeated Sampras four sets to two in a match featuring many close encounters. Fill-in Nick Kyrgios was best on court, recording three wins.
Nadal was in strong form against Agassi, winning five sets to one. Andrew Brew and Jim Zanin combined exceptionally well for Nadal, winning all of their sets.
The match of the night was Connors versus Lendl, with each team winning three sets. Connors edged ahead by two games to claim the points, highlighting just how close the contest was, with no player winning all of their matches.
Wilander recorded a four-sets-to-two victory over McEnroe, with the result decided by just three games. Nathan Bibby was best on court, dominating and winning all of his matches.
Edberg also secured a four-sets-to-two win over Federer, with fill-in Mike Lairson proving the difference by winning three sets.
The ladder after Round 5 is:
Laver 32, Edberg 29, Borg 28, Becker 25, Lendl 25, Nadal 20, Agassi 18, Wilander 17, Connors 17, Djokovic 16, McEnroe 13, Federer 11, Sampras 9.
Goulburn Murray Tennis Association
The Goulburn Murray Tennis Association competition continued across north-east Victoria over the weekend, marking the final round before the Christmas break.
This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for players to compete against teams from other clubs.
Yarrawonga’s Division 3 team travelled to Numurkah, with Brendan Lawrence making his debut.
The match was played in great spirit and ended in a remarkable draw, with each team winning five sets and the games tied at 63 apiece.
Xavier Chessells and Thomas Lawrence both claimed singles victories, while the ladies combination of Angela Mitchell, Renee Byrne and Danielle Lawrence won all of their doubles matches.
Numurkah’s Division 2 team travelled to Shepparton and were involved in a series of tight contests, with Shepparton edging ahead six sets to five. Daryl Bennett was outstanding for Numurkah, winning all of his sets.
Tess Bassett played well to win two sets, while Hayley Bennett also impressed despite some narrow losses.
In Division 1, Numurkah hosted Shepparton in a replay of last year’s grand final.
The match remained close throughout before Shepparton prevailed seven sets to five. Lucy Bassett produced an exciting 8–7 win in the final mixed match, while Grant Chappell played strongly, narrowly losing his singles match in a tiebreak.
Rock Up and Play Sessions
YLTC continues to host social, aggregate-style tennis sessions each week. Ladies’ social tennis is held on Tuesday mornings from 9.00am, while men’s social tennis takes place on Wednesdays from 9.00am. Attendance is flexible, but once you’ve tried it, it’s hard not to keep coming back.
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