Round three of the Goulburn Murray Tennis Association’s GM1 division has produced the closest results yet, and it seems this year’s championship crown is anyone’s for the taking.
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While it didn’t result in a win, Mooroopna can rest confident knowing it can tackle the competition’s best after being two rubbers away from stunning the current minor premier Shepparton Lawn Tropics.
After falling to a two to love sets deficit, Stringlab Travellers’ Xavier Stewart bageled the Tropics’ Jayden Doyle to provide a spark for Mooroopna.
Jack Byrne then levelled the sets ledger while taking a games lead, before the ladies’ singles were split evenly 1-10 each, marking the midway scores at 3-35 to 3-28.
The Travellers went from strength to strength in the doubles as they hunted an inaugural GM1 victory against the ladder leaders, taking three of the next four rubbers for a healthy 6-63 to 4-55 advantage.
Shepparton Lawn appeared dead in the water, but that metaphorical water seemed to provide a wet sail in the final two sets.
The Tropics rose from the coffin as Hope Curtis-McDonald and Kade Madigan dished out a damaging 8-1 win, closing the games margin to one with one set to play, before D’arcy Curtis-McDonald and Ben O’Brien left Mooroopna shell-shocked, the Travellers collapsing at the final hurdle to lose 8-2, and 6-66 to 6-71 overall.
While the Tropics avoided a shock upset loss, the same couldn’t be said for the usually untouchable Warriors.
Numurkah has been condemned to a second straight loss after Shepparton Lawn Average Joes pounced on a wounded Warriors unit.
Licking their wounds after a round two defeat to the Tropics, the Warriors’ plans to rebound initially were on track after David Poole’s 8-4 first rubber win, but without superstars Nick Fenaughty and Jack Bassett in Saturday’s squad, the Average Joes took full advantage.
Average Joes’ Luke Dixon and Robbie Mifka enjoyed comfortable rubber wins in the next two, before Warriors Elliott Small and Yvette Ambrosini rectified the deficit.
The teams would exchange blows until the ninth rubber, Numurkah extracting a sets lead but trailing in the games department, scores 4-57 to 5-54.
The games difference was the indicative factor of which side was truly on top in the contest, and the Average Joes ensured the better team on the day took home the premiership points, comprehensively winning the final three sets to emerge victorious 7-81 to 5-60.
A top-of-the-table Shepparton Lawn derby is booked for next round in a fortnight’s time, while Numurkah will host Mooroopna as the pair of clubs look to rebound from a string of losses.
News photographer Sandra Michalitsis captured Euroa Lawn take on the Shepparton Lawn Blues in the GM2 division, Euroa winning 9-75 to 2-37 to become outright ladder leader in its section.