..:: Round 15 Preview ::..

14/2/09

Many of the battle weary country week players will filter back into teams for round 15 of the Bendigo Tennis Association's Saturday pennant competitions.  Many players from across the region headed up to Wodonga for the yearly event conducted by the Victorian Country Tennis Association and from all reports it was again a roaring success with some 160+ teams competing in 26 divisions.

Again, Bendigo players featured prominently with the Bendigo Swans, lead by Bendigo boys Corbin and Brandt Fleming combining with a couple of lads from Shepparton to take out the A grade mens title.  The the Bendigoeers Ladies combination of Faye Davies, Anne O'Connor, Ros Bradbury and Colleen Smith also played well to finish as runners-up in the C2 ladies section.  

But getting back to a local level, the action will be hot as players take to the courts for round 15 of the BTA's Sportspower Premier League.  With 3 rounds left before finals, each premiership point will be a premium as finals hopefuls try to secure their spots.

Strath Park Storm vs South Bendigo @ CCC Crts 12, 13 & 14

The undoubted match of the round will between the third placed South Bendigo and fourth placed Strath Park Storm.  South are still well in touch with the top two, just 5 points adrift from the 2nd placed Mozzies, with the Storm scrambling to keep the improving Castlemaine at bay and secure the 4th spot.

South will be hoping for the return of no 1 Corbin Fleming to the fold following his country week success.  Fleming gives his team real spice, enabling Frank Ryan, Grant Leader and Simon Kelly to filter down the order where they are extremely dangerous and generally win more than their share of matches.

For South, Terry Smith will likely partner Michael Smyth in the opening pairings. With James McArthur and Danny Watson having the task of curbing the strong combination of Leader and Kelly at 3 and 4.

The ladies should also provide for some extremely close tennis as Storms Michelle Rodwell and Tova Smith are likely to match up well against Maxine Everitt and Paige Ipsem.  Much of South's finals aspirations now rests on Everitt's shoulders as she is left to the no 1 position following Ashlea Baker's move to the US.

With the top two teams playing the bottom two, South are under real pressure to keep their double chance alive and therefore should provide enough motivation to get the job done.

Verdict:  South to win 7 sets to 5

Castlemaine vs Bendigo Lawn @ CCC Crts 15, 21 & 22

It will be the last role of the dice for Castlemaine in round 15, as they look to close a 14 point gap on Strath Park Storm and force there way into the the final 4.  However, with top placed Bendigo Lawn this week and the 2nd placed Mozzies next week, the Maine will need to play some extraordinary tennis in the coming weeks to have any chance.

Matt Hartland and Shane Burke have been extremely strong contributors for the Maine this season and following a week of good preparation at Wodonga, maybe in their best opportunity yet to have a real crack at league no 1 Curt Garwood.  Garwood however has been getting in his fair share of practice and is is generally at his cunning best against Hartland.  There singles battle will be the highlight of the day in what will be close tennis.

In the other men, older brother Ward Garwood will look to take Burke at no 2, whilst Dean Harris and Robert Jefferies will need to use the full bag of tricks if they are to overcome lawns steady combination of Stefan Butson and Michael Nihill.

For the ladies, Castlemaine's Alyssa Cole and Jessie Culpitt will be looking for their first wins over Mandy Connors-Butson and Courtney Jarman.  Cole is a chance to cause an upset over Connors-Butson, whilst Culpitt is still looking for that illusive premier league singles victory.

Verdict: Bendigo Lawn just have too many options and will win 8 sets to 4.

Strath Park vs Spring Gully Mozzies @ CCC Crts 3, 4 & 5

Spring Gully Mozzies will be hoping for a big win in round 15 as they try to overtake Bendigo Lawn in the race for the minor premiership.  The Mozzies have finished on top the past 3 seasons, making the Grand Final on each occasion.  With but a 3 point gap to lawn, this is their big chance to move ahead.

The Mozzies will however have to go into battle this week without captain and no 1 man Jamie Brown.  Brown is being rested for the upcoming finals campaign, which may give Straths men a real chance.  Jack and Alistair Baker have had good success against the Mozzies this year, but lacked the support in the lower order to push for a win.  With Brown out, Shane Cox and Travis Toner are likely to combine at the top of the order and may find the going tough.

In the ladies, the Mozzies girls of Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne have had outstanding seasons and will probably have too many answers for Eliza Long and Heather Robbins.  Robbins and Osborne have had some great battles over the years and Saturday will gain be a good fight in their clash.

Verdict: Matches between these two teams are historically entertaining, but the Mozzies always have the knack of getting the job done.  Mozzies to win 7 sets to 5.

Sports Power Senior Pennant 2008/09

Section 2 Round 15
BLTC Green vs Spring Gully Sensation @ Lawn 7 & 8
BLTC Bronze vs Spring Gully Blue @  Lawn 5 & 6
Spring Gully New China vs Epsom @  Lawn 9 & 10

Section 3 Round 15
Strath Park Symmetry vs BLTC Red @ CCC 23 & 24
BLTC Blue vs BLTC Federer @ CCC 25 & 26
BLTC Rafa vs BLTC Gold @ CCC 27 & 28