ROUND 12 of Southern Ports Tennis saw the top-of-the-table clash, with Naracoorte taking the honours to remain undefeated after a 14 sets to 10 win over the Lucindale Koalas.
Lucindale was on the board early, taking a 4-2 lead after the mixed doubles, while the singles saw a mixed bag of scores.
George White rebounded after last weeks loss, defeating a competitive Chandler Smart, 6-3, while 6-0 wins went to Daniel Menzel, Bill Longbottom, Kelsie Moyle-Read and Michele Moyle-Read.
The match of the day saw Kiele Longbottom and Poppy Moyle-Read go head-to-head, which went to a tie-break where Moyle-Read was victorious.
The other close match for the round was played at Beachport where Millicent/Beachport managed to jag a much-needed win over the Frances/Lucindale Eagles to keep their finals hopes alive.
While the day ended up going Millicent/Beachport’s way, it was a tightly contested day with Frances/Lucindale starting strong winning four of the mixed doubles matches.
After being 4-0 down, Todd Watson and Lucy Corman did not roll over without a fight, eventually succumbing to Flo Burgwin and Justin Lobb 6-4.
With a self-professed combined age of 144, Peter Lawrie and Richard Pilmore’s experience proved too abundant for Shannon Nicholls and Darcy Bateman with a 6-1 victory.
In the singles, Tarrant Fudge and Jake Harris entertained with a close finish of 7-6 in Harris’s favour.
Lisa Duldig held onto form to take the win over Tyler Atkinson 6-2, while Jane Haynes beat Nat Chambers 6-2 in a match closer than what the score line showed.
The remaining matches were one-sided affairs, with Lucindale Wombats easily winning over an undermanned Lucindale Cockatoos, while Kingston showed their strength and were far too strong for Robe Rebels.
As the post-season fast approaches, with with just three minor-round games remaining, the only team that can afford to lose is Naracoorte.
With three points separating the teams placed second to sixth, this will be a highly-contested run home.
The Robe Roosters will have a task on their hands taking on the in-form Kingston Crays, while Millicent/Beachport travel back to grass to take on the Wombats who will be hard to beat.
The Eagles will want a win badly over the Lucindale Koalas, while Naracoorte take on the Cockatoos at home.
Robe Rebels have the bye.
