IDEAL conditions greeted Southern Ports tennis players for Round 13 of the season on Saturday.
The results saw some movement on the ladder, with the Koalas going down to Frances in an upset 14-10 result.
As a result the Koalas went from second to fifth on the ladder, while Frances climbed up fourth place.
The Wombats had a solid 17-7 win over Millicent/Beachport and moved into second spot.
The Robe Roosters faced an in-form Kingston Crays side and claimed the win to move up a position to third spot, while Kingston dropped to eighth.
Despite struggling to fill a side, Naracoorte continued its dominance with another strong 16-8 win over the Cockatoos.
Tie-breaks were the order of the day at Frances, while three-set winners were Trevor Smart (Koalas), along with Flo Burgwin, Craig Jones, Riley Staude and Sophie Ford for the Eagles.
Robe produced some tight results early, along with some long sets to keep the spectators entertained.
At the end of the day the Roosters claimed five of six doubles to win the day 17-7.
Three-set winners were Alex Clements, Tim Malone, Simon Ferguson, Barb Hensel and Breanna Ferguson for the Roosters, while Bianca Cunneen was the only one for the Crays.
Both the Wombats and Millicent/Beachport missed some players, with the final score reflecting the struggle from the latter.
The Wombats claimed the win 17-7, with some tight contests throughout the day.
The mixed doubles were reasonably one-sided, with the Wombats claiming all but one set.
The singles were a little closer but enough for Millicent/Beachport to mount a real challenge.
Confidence was low on Saturday for both the Cockatoos and Naracoorte after a week of scrambling to find players.
Naracoorte claimed a strong 16-8 win set up with a 5-1 lead after the mixed doubles.
The singles were more even but in the end Naracoorte was simply too strong.
The next two weeks will see wins crucial as the ladder tightens up.
The match of the round will see a Lucindale showdown between the Wombats and Koalas.
The Wombats want to lock in second spot, while Koalas are only sitting fifth by a single point so will need to secure the win to creep back up the ladder.
The Robe Roosters will look to fill their best side to claim a win over the dominant Naracoorte.
A win will keep the Roosters in the mix for the top five.
The Robe Rebels will be pumped as they climbed to seventh and sit just four points off Millicent/Beachport but will have a tough task against the Eagles.
Finally the sixth-placed Millicent/Beachport face eighth-placed Kingston Crays in a must-win for both teams, which should provide an entertaining clash.
