LUCINDALE KOALAS 15-130 D NARACOORTE 9-103
A WARM day at Naracoorte produced some high quality matches in Round 13 of Southern Ports tennis on Saturday.
The mixed doubles had the day looking even with three sets going each way.
For Naracoorte, Max Malone and Poppy Moyle-Read were a standout, taking their double 6-3.
Similarly, Tom McKinnon and Jessica Legoe were also in form, winning their set 6-1.
The singles started to show the Koalas’ dominance, with wins in four men’s singles and three women’s singles it was going to be tough for Naracoorte to make a comeback.
At the top of the men’s singles, Sam Graetz and Max Malone showed why they are two of the best.
With some long, smashing rallies, Graetz came through the winner, 7-5.
On the next court the heat continued between Darcy Blacker (N) and Duncan Ogilvie (LK).
The pair took the match to a tiebreak, with Ogilvie scraping home with the win.
The women’s singles also featured a tiebreaker.
Poppy Moyle-Read and Leanne Graetz fought out the final single of the day, Moyle-Read finding the win for Naracoorte.
However talk of the day was Taegan White (LK) who made a mark on the SPTA competition in her first match.
The player-turned-coach made her return to the court, defeating Naracoorte champion Michele Moyle-Read, 6-0.
Five doubles sets would seal the day for the Koalas, ending Naracoorte’s finals hope.
Three-set winners for the Koalas were Chandler Smart, Duncan Ogilvie, Tom McKinnon, Taegan White and Leanne McCarthy and for Naracoorte, Norbert Wende and Ryan Castine.
KINGSTON 18-145 D PENOLA 6-85
Kingston was determined to make amends after its second loss for the season to Lucindale Koala’s last week, with just the second game on grass proving to be a bit difficult.
However, knowing nine players were out, Kingston did not take Penola lightly considering op spot was up for grabs.
The mixed double duos paired well for Kingston, winning five of the six games played.
The Kingston men put on a show and only dropped five games out of the six sets of singles played.
Steve Edwards again proved his skill, as he stepped up to number one to take on Jack England and his consistency provided a 6-1 win.
His son, Will Edwards had a solid win at number two against Penola’s Tom Pearce.
Craig Lawrie came out of retirement again, with a good win at number five, 6-0.
The Penola women worked hard to claim three of the six singles, but not without a fight.
Kingston’s Nicola Crane moved up the ranks and had an entertaining game with Penola’s Michelle Coomans, just loosing in a tiebreak 7-3.
Kingston’s new recruit, Natasha Meseldzija also had a blinder of a first game against Caz McGrath, winning 6-1.
Penola’s number four and six women, Grace Porter-Dabrowski and Leila MacLeod, both had good wins 6-2 each over Kingston’s Katie Hines and Awhina Zwart.
Penola had to win all doubles to make a dent in the score at the end of the day.
The first four went Kingston’s way, however the number 3/4 and 5/6’s for Penola again were too good.
In the end Kingston claimed a solid win to help the chance of a Division 1 final stay alive.
BEACHPORT 16-127 D ROBE ROOSTERS 8-98
A pleasant breeze at Beachport kept the conditions ideal as the Robe Roosters travelled to their neighboring coastal town to take on the Beachport Pirates.
With the Pirates needing a win to keep chasing the Division 1 final, the Roosters were going to make it tough, especially with Beachport missing quite a few players.
At the conclusion of the mixed doubles scores were even at three sets a piece.
The match to watch was the second mixed double, with Rooster’s Peter Obst and Hayley Agnew hanging in there to take the set 6-4 over pirates Noah Lang and Shae Morrish.
The Pirates came out firing in the singles to win eight out of the 12 to give them some breathing room going into the doubles.
By then they had found their groove and only dropped one double to finish the day with a strong win.
Three-set winners for Beachport were Cade Kelly, Todd Watson, Ryan Bateman, Chris Bateman and Ellen Clarke, while Rachelle McKay was the only three-set winner for Roosters.
FRANCES/LUCINDALE EAGLES 16-129 D LUCINDALE WOMBATS 8-89
This match was the first fixture on the new Apsley courts and all players enjoyed the true hard-court experience.
There were many close games that the final scores did not reflect.
The number one men’s doubles between Tarrant Fudge/James Crossling and Brad Hocking/Jack Grundy was played on the centre court and caught the attention of many spectators.
It was a spectacular display of tennis and sportsmanship, as the Eagles’ boys came away with the win 9-7.
Three-set winners, were Crossling, Bob Williams, Flo Burgwin, Mon Van-dyk and Jane Fitzgerald for the Eagles, along with Alicia Orton for the Wombats).
With one round left, the top six teams are set, but what is yet to be decided is their positioning.
Kingston and the Eagles are equal on points, with the Eagles having the final-round bye.
Kingston will look to hang onto top spot over an undermanned Naracoorte.
However, Beachport is closing in.
Only one win behind, the Pirates only need 16 sets over Penola to steal the Eagles position and take a spot in the Division 1 final.
Further down the order, the Koalas will wait to see who drops to third to take them on in the Division 2 final.
Finally, the Division 3 final will take place between Robe Rebels and the Wombats.
Catch the action this week at Robe, Naracoorte, Penola and Lucindale.
