LAST week saw some changes to the Mount Gambier and District Tennis Association schedule, with some games played on different days due to Friday’s Gold Cup event.
The mixed doubles competition saw both Glencoe and Centrals assert dominance in Round 8, as they both had solid wins in their respective games.
With Mil Lel having the bye, ladder-leader Glencoe claimed a straight-set victory over Mount Schank, where it only gave away nine games for the day.
Glencoe’s Alan Schultz and Bill Chapman paired up well to defeat Terry Nisbet and Joe Denman 6-0, while Schultz also teamed up with Tricia Guerin for another 6-0 win over Nisbet and Alisha Angelino.
Schultz continued his fine form to secure a 6-1 victory with the help of Cathy Meyer, as the duo accounted for Nisbet and Naomi Brick.
Chapman and Meyer also found success in their match against Denman and Brick to win 6-3, while Meyer and Guerin claimed a similar result with a 6-3 triumph over Angelino and Brick.
The final match-up saw Chapman and Guerin with a solid 6-2 win as they took to the court against Denman and Angelino.
This win sees Glencoe on five wins for the season, putting it two wins clear on the premiership ladder, after second-placed Mount Gambier went down to Centrals last round.
The end result of this clash saw Centrals with 5-37 to Mount Gambier’s 1-27, which now sees the two teams level on wins for 2017-18.
However, with Centrals yet to have its second bye it has an extra loss, keeping it in third place on the ladder for now.
Despite the scoreboard, the match-up was an even affair, with three matches requiring tie-breaks to decide the results.
Mount Gambier’s Jason Seidel and Michael Cameron lost their tie-break against Ben Gaffney and Paul McKenzie, while it was the same result for Cameron’s other two games.
Pairing up with Kate Eldridge, the duo went down in a tie-break to McKenzie and Kate Carraill, while Cameron’s match alongside Michelle Schulz also resulted in a 6-7 deficit, as the pair lost to McKenzie and Jo Hamilton.
Schulz and Eldridge recorded the only win for the Mount Gambier hosts, as they accounted for Hamilton and Carraill 6-4.
However, with a 6-3 win to Centrals’ Gaffney and Hamilton over Seidel and Schulz, plus a 6-0 victory for Gaffney and Carraill’s match against Seidel and Eldridge, the guests went home with the points.
With Glencoe currently leading the season, the tight contest could see the minor placing easily change, while it will only take one slip up for any of the remaining teams to be knocking on the door of top spot.
