James Murphy
SHOWERS of rain and strong winds on Saturday afternoon saw little in the way of tennis matches, as Division 1 and 3 fixtures were abandoned due to the conditions.
All Division 1 clashes were called short without results, while only two Division 3 encounters were completed.
They saw Uniting clinch a tight 7-5 set win over Suttontown at Corriedale Park, while Mount Gambier proved too mighty for Mil Lel with a dominant 12-0 result.
However, Friday night’s Division 2 games were met by kinder conditions and all fixtures were played to their conclusion.
All three clashes were one-sided affairs, as Mount Gambier proved why it is on top of the table with a 10-2 set win over Suttontown.
Gambier won all-but one singles match, with the closest game a 6-4 win to Renae Cameron over Casey Sampson.
Agnes Doyle managed to chip one back for Suttontown, when she defeated Sienna Hawke 6-1, but the damage had already been dealt.
The doubles followed the same trend with some dominant performances from the ladder leaders.
Cameron and Jodie Carey combined for a 6-0 win over Sampson and Aimee Inglis, while Ben Kerin and Andrew Le Cornu also won their pairing in straight games.
Suttontown’s only success came in a hard-fought 7-5 result from Inglis and Lizzie Doyle over Cameron and Sienna Hawke.
Another good win came from Mil Lel as it trumped Reidy Park nine sets to three.
Mil Lel’s Michael Ellis had a good 7-5 win over Craig Moody in the men’s top rubber, while the top women’s match was a more one-sided encounter.
Maggie Collins proved too strong as she claimed a 6-1 win over Reidy’s Kate Fabian.
Throughout the night Reidy’s CJ Arnold and Jessica Douglas both managed wins in their singles, while Arnold also won his doubles partnership with Moody.
The remaining sets went the way of Mil Lel, with the overall honours boosting it into third place on the premiership table.
The final fixture of the night was played between West Gambier and Glencoe, with the former winning 9-3.
Another close battle in the top men’s singles saw West’s Jamie Higgins defeat Sam Auld 7-5, while a tie-breaker was required to determine the victor in the women’s top match.
Gemma Ballintyne was able to hold out against Eliza Cole to give West another valuable set.
Contests were relatively close throughout the night, with another tie-breaker needed to decide the doubles clash between West’s Jamie Higgins and Matthew Charlton with Glencoe’s Auld and David Cole, with the former pair coming out on top.
The win bumped West Gambier up to second on the ladder with an even three wins and three loses.
Looking to this week’s Round 8 and all senior games will be played on Saturday, with Friday night games finished until 2023.
