James Murphy
THE rain held off for long enough on Saturday afternoon for Round 5 of Mount Gambier and District tennis to go ahead unhindered.
Only one match was washed out in the end, as the Division 1 clash at Glencoe between the home side and Centrals/Uniting/Gambier was called short with four sets left to play.
The Division 1 competition had it all on Saturday, with the Uniting v Mount Schank game also not a full fixture due to forfeited sets from both sides.
Both teams were short a player for the round, which resulted in six sets being forfeited.
In the end, Uniting prevailed on its home courts seven sets to five, giving the side its first win of the season.
Of the two doubles sets which were played, Uniting and Centrals/Uniting/Gambier both recorded a win.
Uniting’s Ashlea Dunn and Vanessa Maxwell defeated Nell Eastough and Abbey Hood 6-2, while a tiebreaker was required to settle the score when Oscar Geddes and Will Boston defeated Uniting’s Daniel Moon and Kobe Cole.
It was the singles which made the difference on the day, as Uniting won all but one set to secure the overall honours.
The only full fixture was played at Olympic Park between West Gambier and Reidy Park.
In a one-sided encounter, Reidy prevailed 10 sets to two.
The men’s singles all went the way of the hosts, with the top rubber won by Zayne Young 6-3 over West’s George White, while Cade Kelly accounted for Ethan Schultz 6-1.
Another 6-3 victory went to Bryan Heywood over Brady Cook in the number-three clash.
The women’s singles were closer affairs, as Reidy’s Bailey Young edged out Emily Jolley 7-5, while West’s Jessica Stutley managed to turn the tables for a 7-5 win over Jayme Young.
The final rubber was played between Reidy’s Maddison Kelly and West’s Ella Jolley, where the former claimed a 6-4 win.
In the doubles sets it was more of the same, as Reidy proved too strong for its rival.
The only set to go the way of the guests was a solid 6-2 win from Stutley and Ella Jolley over Jayme Young and Kelly.
Bailey and Jayme Young’s combination produced a convincing 6-1 win over Emily Jolley and Stutley, while Bailey Young teamed up with Kelly for a 6-4 victory over the Jolley girls.
In the men’s doubles Zayne Young claimed two 6-4 triumphs in his pairings with Cade Kelly and Heywood.
Heywood and Kelly then combined for a 6-3 result against Cook and Noah Lang.
The win has pushed Reidy up into second on the premiership table, while West has dropped to fourth with an even win-loss record of two-each.
