..:: Round 16 Wrap ::..

23/2/09

Spring Gully Mozzies and Bendigo Lawn have booked their semi final battle, with convincing wins on the weekend, ensuring they finish top two. With only two rounds remaining and but 1 point separating the pair, both teams will have to wait virtually until the last set of the home and away season, to see who takes out the minor premiership.

Bendigo Lawn 85-8-8 df South Bendigo 70-4-4

The undoubted match of the round was between old foes Bendigo Lawn and South Bendigo. The match pitted the two best players in Central Victoria against each other, with South’s Corbin Fleming and Lawns Curt Garwood going head-to-head.

Both opening mens doubles were of extremely high standard, with a set going each way. South’s Corbin Fleming and Frank Ryan were able to inflict defeat for the first time this season over brothers Curt and Ward Garwood 9-7. Whilst the Lawn combo of Nick Bath and Michael Nihill reversed the result in their match with Grant Leader and Jono Guy.

The match then moved to the important singles, and the battle between Fleming and Garwood. Whilst the slick lawn courts and windy conditions would seem to have suited Flemings big serve and accurate vollies better, it was Garwood who took control early. Despite a few torrid bounces Garwood was able to twice break Fleming, whilst holding his serve comfortably. Garwood leveled their yearly head-to-head battle at 1 all with the 8-3 victory.

In the other matches, Frank Ryan, Grant Leader and Paige Ipsen kept Souths hopes alive with good singles wins. However, Connors-Butson and Nihill backed up Garwoods earlier singles win and gave the Lawn a one set lead at the mixed.

Fleming and Garwood again found themselves on the opposite sides of the net for the mixed, with Garwood combining with Mandy Connors-Butson to record a 9-7 victory. The win was sealed for the Lawn when Michael Nihill and Courtney Jarman caused an upset victory over Grant Leader and Paige Ipsen.

The best players for the Lawn were Michael Nihill and Mandy Connors-Butson, both of whom won their 3 sets. Whilst, Frank Ryan was his teams best contributor with 2 sets for the afternoon.

Castlemaine 38-0-0 lt Spring Gully Mozzies 97-12-12

Spring Gully Mozzies were able to close the gap to Lawn with their biggest win of the season. The Mozzies were ruthless against an undermanned Castlemaine, taking all 12 sets of the day.

It was always going to be tough for the Maine, with captain Matt Hartland and Shane Burke both on the sidelines. Leigh Campbell and Dean Harris were promoted, but found the going tough against Jamie Brown and Travis Toner, in both singles and doubles.

The Mozzies 3 & 4 mens combination of Steven Rogers and Peter Valentine were also in good touch as they outplayed Robert Jefferies and David Carre in their sets.

Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne used the match to improve their player points standings, with the Mozzie girls conceding just 9 games in their five combined sets.

The Castlemaine pair of Leigh Campbell and David Carr fought valiantly in the last doubles of the day to try secure one point for their team. However, again their efforts went without reward as their Mozzies opponents of Travis Toner and Peter Valentine were able to win the important points and close out the match in a final set tiebreaker.

Strath Park 87-9-9 df Strath Park Storm 61-3-3

Club rivals Strath Park and Strath Park Storm went head to head for the final time in 2008/09, with the bottom ranked Strath Park upsetting their higher ranked club-mates 9 sets to 3. With no finals prospects, Strath went about restoring some pride in what has been a frustrating season.

Strath dominated from the outset, with Jack Baker and Adam Arnold combining for a solid win over Terry Smith and Michael Smyth. Arnold proved to be a good substitute for the unavailable Alistair Baker, as he went on to defeat Smith in a high standard singles battle.

The Storm closed the margin back with a good doubles victory to Michael Hogan and James McArthur, which was followed up by Michael Smyth’s 8-4 singes win over Jack Baker.

The Strath Park girls were proving to be the difference between the teams however, with Heather Robbins and Eliza Long playing smart grass court tennis in belting Storms Tova Smith and Michelle Rodwell. Robbins and Long followed up their doubles success with good singles victories.

Any hope of a rival was squashed by the 3 & 4 mens singles, with Ruebin Ellis thrashing James McArthur, whilst Leon Retallick had his best win of the season in outlasting Michael Hogan 9-7.

The match was all but over come the mixed, with Strath taking the final mens doubles and opening mixed to record their nine sets. The Storm retained their third point of the afternoon with a late mixed victory to Mick Hogan and Michelle Rodwell.

The best players for the winners were Heather Robbins and Adam Arnold, both of whom won their three sets.


Section 2
Spring Gully New China 9-77 df BLTC Bronze 1-29
BLTC Green 4-57 lt Epsom 6-68
Spring Gully Sensation 7-70 df Spring Gully Blue 3-49

Section 3
Strath Park Symmetry 5-64 dw BLTC Gold 5-64
BLTC Red 9-79 df BLTC Federer 1-48
BLTC Rafa 6-63 df BLTC Blue 4-59