BEACHPORT was the top performer in Round 4 of the Southern Ports Tennis Association season.
Travelling to Robe, the Pirates put on a dominant display against Robe Roosters, only dropping three sets for the day.
This win moves them into third position on the ladder.
Naracoorte was delivered a tough blow by Lucindale Koalas who were happy to get their first win on the board.
Also out at Lucindale, Frances-Lucindale Eagles showed they were too strong for the Wombats.
Away from the grass, Kingston travelled to Penola where a familiar face made an appearance.
Taking on her old team, Emily Warner donned the blue as Penola’s top lady.
ROBE ROOSTERS 3-69 lt BEACHPORT 21-153
The Robe Roosters hosted the Beachport Pirates with conditions tricky once again.
An unpredictable wind made the going tough, but Beachport was able to take a lead after the mixed doubles winning five of the six sets.
Pete Obst and Leanne Cameron secured Robe’s only win over Jake Harris and Shae Morrish 6-2.
Tim Loveday and Emma Chambers started their day of three-set wins with victory over James Kokiousis and Alana Domaschenz 6-1.
The singles matches followed a similar trajectory with Beachport taking 11 of the possible 12 sets.
Paul Rains put together a captain’s performance on the show court to beat Noah Lang 6-4.
Lucy Corman was consistent across the day, defeating Tracey Bainger in their single’s match 6-2.
Nick Clifford kicked off his 2023-24 tennis campaign and took home three wins for the day.
Katie-ann Agnew and Samantha Matthews only managed to take two games from Nat Chambers and Tamara Sutherland in the 5/6 women’s doubles.
Match of the day once again involved a well-oiled duo in Paul Rains and Pete Obst, who conceded only five games to Noah Lang and Jake Harris.
The day closed at 21 sets to three in Beachport’s favour with no three-set winners from Robe and too many to mention from Beachport.
PENOLA 7-70 lt KINGSTON 17-131
KINGSTON made the drive down to Penola for a good win over the Eagles.
Penola put together a competitive side and it managed to score itself a handy recruit in Emily Warner, who played against her home side Kingston.
The mixed doubles went the way of Kingston.
Penola’s Tom Pearce and Caroline McGrath combined well to win their team’s only set 6-4 against Michael Dugan and Stacey Lehmann.
Pearce backed it up in the singles and was the sole men’s winner for Penola.
He played a solid game against Kingston’s new recruit Dugan, with impressive winners from both ends of the court.
Dugan unfortunately ended up with some nasty blisters which saw his day finish early.
In the women’s singles Penola had some good depth, winning three out of the six sets.
Lehmann and McGrath had an epic game with each point a rally and it went down to the wire, with the former winning 7-5.
A few clean sweeps in the men’s and women’s doubles, plus a forfeit in the top men’s match had Kingston win the day 17 sets to Penola’s seven.
An entertaining match unfolded when father/son duo James and Kym Lehmann claimed a 9-0 win over Penola’s Manyy Singh and Tom During.
The only three-set winner for Penola was Pearce, while Kingston’s Bianca Cunneen, Neville Hines, Lou Leidig, James Lehmann, Kym Lehmann and Katie Rasheed achieved this feat.
LUCINDALE KOALAS 19-145 d NARACOORTE 5-100
The Koalas hosted Naracoorte and were off to a flying start when they won all six mixed doubles matches.
Lucindale’s strength continued into the singles, with some high-quality matches on display for spectators.
The match between Koalas’ Brianna Boyington and Naracoorte’s Samuel Birchard was a good game between two beginner tennis players.
Both showed determination and persistence, with Birchard winning in a tiebreak.
The doubles concluded the day with an even contest in the top women’s clash.
After a high-standard match, Koalas’ Leanne Graetz and Casey Weaver won 10-8 over Naracoorte’s Poppy and Kelsie Moyle-Read.
There was a host of three-match winners for the Koalas, which helped them record their first overall win for the season.
LUCINDALE WOMBATS 8-108 lt FRANCES/LUCINDALE EAGLES 16-141
Frances/Lucindale Eagles were too strong for the Lucindale Wombats on Saturday.
The weather was warmer, but the winds still created some challenge on court.
After some hard-fought games and good rallies the Eagles won 16 sets to eight.
In Round 5 some more dominant performances are expected.
Beachport will seek another walk-over when it takes on Penola at home, firming itself as top contenders.
The Wombats will look for another win against the Robe Roosters after two losses.
Naracoorte will travel to take on top-team Kingston in what will surely produce some good matches.
Keep an eye on the top women’s singles between Poppy Moyle-Read and Bianca Cunneen.
Finally, the Robe Rebels, who come off the bye, will host the Lucindale Koalas.
The Koalas will be running on a high after defeating Naracoorte and with a strong men’s order for both sides, it is certainly set to be the match of the round.
