..:: Round 9 Preview ::..

Round 9 Preview 6/12/08

Premier League 2008/09

Spring Gully Mozzies vs Bendigo Lawn @ CCC Crts 2, 6 & 7

The Sports Power backed Premier League match of the round will see Spring Gully Mozzies and Bendigo Lawn go head to head on the Coca Cola Complex in round 9.  Both teams are unbeaten in the last 3 outings and will be looking to bridge the gap that South Bendigo has created at the top of the table.

Again, there are good match up all throughout this match, with Jamie Brown likely to battle league no 1 man Curt Garwood, whilst in the ladies either Mandy Connors-Butson or Tamara Wright will have the unenviable task of trying to curb the influence of the Mozzies Jessica Hartland. Whichever way the lawn plays their girls, the no 2 this week will have to be on their game, as they will face the statistically no 1 ranked player in the competition Bronwyn Osborne.  Osborne has been in superb form this year and following last weeks results has moved to the top of the player rankings, having only dropped 2 sets for the season.

This match will also have another point of interest with the likely return of Shane Cox and Paul Condcliff to Premier League.  Cox is a 2 time premiership player with the Mozzies and will be keen to step into the no 2 mans position against lawns Ward Garwood. There is a fair bit of history between the two players, with Cox and the Garwood brothers featuring in a heated do or die last set in the 2007/08 Grand Final which saw Strath Park Storm thwart the Mozzies 3 peat by one game.

This match promise of plenty of fight, grunt and competitive spirit.  It remains to be seen whether the new inclusions for the Mozzies can have an impact from the word go.  Expect a tight match, with the lawn's depth and consistency likely to give them the edge.

Verdict: Lawn 7 sets to 5.

Strath Park Storm vs Castlemaine @ Castlemaine

Strath Park Storm will make their first and only road trip of the season, when they head down the freeway in the hope of capturing some points against cellar dwellers Castlemaine.

The season thus far has gone from bad to worse for the Maine who are not only without a win for 6 weeks, but coming into the match on the back of their biggest loss in many years.  They could only muster 1 set, through Shane Burke, against top team South Bendigo last week.

Burke and Matt Hartland have been the shining lights for Castlemaine and they will again look to their no 1 & 2 men to try to capture their share of sets against Terry Smith and Michael Smyth.  The slower synthetic grass courts may just provide the recipe for the pair to seek revenge on their more experienced opponents.  They will need some assistance though, which will need to come through Robert Jefferies and Dean Harris.  Both Jefferies and Harris have played enough matches in premier league this season and must step up to win their share of the games.

The ladies will also be close, with the home teams Alyssa Cole and Jessie Culpitt likely to take on the Storms Tova Smith and Michelle Rodwell.  Cole will need to be at her very best to assist her young partner over the line this week.

When these teams met in round 4, Castlemaine captured more games than the Storm but still lost 7 sets to 5.  If they can turn some of those close defeats into victories, they maybe a chance to record their second victory.

Verdict:  In an upset the Maine to win on games.

Strath Park vs South Bendigo @ CCC Crts 1, 4 & 5

The final match in the Premier League round sees top side South Bendigo take on the lowly ranked Strathdale Park.  Whilst on paper the match looks pretty open-shut several key omissions for the ladder leaders may give Strath a glimmer of hope.

Neither Corbin Fleming nor Aiden Fitzgerald will feature in this match, leaving Frank Ryan, Grant Leader and Simon Kelly with the task of stepping up the order to fill the gaps.  Also joining them will be Craig Nolan, who will return to Bendigo Tennis's top grade after many years in the wilderness.  Nolan is a quality player, who in the early 90's was one of the regions strongest players.  Whilst he doesn't grace the tennis court as much as he once did, he still posses a solid game which would rival that of most in Premier League players.

For the ladies, Ashlea Baker and Maxine Everitt are likely to have too many answers for Heather Robbins and Paige Ipsem.  Ipsem again joins Strath following a broken arm to regular no 1 Eliza Long, which will see the young star sidelined until after Christmas. 

Despite missing Long, Strath have a full complement of players to go into battle against South.  Fleming and Fitzgerald's absence maybe telling and leaves the door ajar for the most unlikely of upsets.

Verdict: Despite the omissions South still look too strong, 7 sets to 5.

Section 2 Round 9
 

Spring Gully New China vs Spring Gully Blue @  Lawn 1 & 2
BLTC Bronze vs BLTC Green @ Lawn 6 & 7
Epsom vs Spring Gully Sensation @ Lawn 8 & 9

Section 3 Round 9
 

BLTC Gold vs BLTC Red   06-12-2008 @ 21 & 22
BLTC Blue vs Strath Park Symmetry @ CCC 23 & 24
BLTC Rafa vs BLTC Federer @ CCC 18 & 19