PULLING up their socks to keep that pesky en tout cas sand out of their shoes, the best tennis players of the season vied for championship glory in the Wellington Gippsland Tennis Association at the weekend.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this journalist (and avid tennis fan) will refrain from declaring the quality of junior tennis in Gippsland is on an upward trajectory, rivalling years past, preferring to let the tennis speak for itself.
But the quality of competitive tennis played at Saturday’s WGTA Grand Finals at Sale Tennis Club only supports this assertion and underlines the significance it should remain this way.
On the day, junior tennis exhibited a level of professionalism akin to seasoned players with years of match experience.
In Junior Section 1, the Bairnsdale Tennis Club, which had four teams competing in finals across the seven sections, was represented by Bella Prince, Ethan Sutherland, Angus Tanner and Campbell Scott.
They faced Maffra, who earned their finals spot when they upset Sale Intersport by four games in the semi-final.
Rhys Bennett, Colby Dennis, Cooper Clutterbuck, and Jack Dennis made a striking impression, donning matching shirts and beginning the mind games early on with their unified appearance.
The matchup was one of the antitheses.
While Maffra had firepower and strength behind their shots, Bairnsdale was polished and possessed pure technical prowess.
This was particularly evident in the singles matchup between Bella Prince and Cooper Clutterbuck.
Having previously met in Round 12, the pair are familiar with each other’s game style: Prince’s power-absorbing ground strokes versus Clutterbuck’s penetrating balls through the court, coupled with quick bursts of power that allow him to get a racquet on short balls.
On Saturday, Prince’s consistency prevailed as she secured a break of serve to take the match 6-4.
Prince executed every shot effortlessly, showcasing a silky-smooth forehand that exemplifies her economical, yet technically superior, style of play.
Possibly finding comfort on the en tout cas, the surface they play on at home, the Bairnsdale players swiftly gained the upper hand by securing victories in all the singles matchups and giving Maffra cause to worry.
But Maffra bounced back in the doubles, winning three out of four matches.
However, their late resurgence was not enough, and Bairnsdale emerged as the champions, winning five sets to three.
THE Senior Section 1 Grand Final delivered on all expectations and then some: a gripping Maffra-Sale showdown packed with competitive rallies, big serving, classic doubles tactics including serve-volleying, and a dose of racquet abuse to keep spectators interested.
You could call it the Grand Final matchup a season in the making.
Sale KFC, with three WGTA 2022/23 Section 1 champions on their list, plus the addition of tennis tactician Anthony Glynn, had been the team to beat on paper since Round 1.
Of Maffra’s three Section 1 teams, Gippsland Real Estate also impresses on paper. Names already etched into the Maffra Lawn Tennis Club’s history include the Allman siblings Mitch and Nat and Alicia Dignan.
Josh Kennedy, who has previously played for Stratford, is well indoctrinated in tennis legacy, too.
In a word, ‘inevitable’ encapsulated this final.
Beginning the day on the right foot, Sale’s Jess Board and Reggie Virgo triumphed in the women’s doubles against Nat Allman and Dignan.
Despite the 6-1, 6-3 scoreline, the match was not the ‘clinic’ spectators have come to expect from Board and Virgo throughout the season.
This did not mean the assertive brand of tennis Board and Virgo play was lacking; instead, the pair had Maffra defending from the first point.
But Allman and Dignan are known for their defence. Allman knows when to insert a strategic lob into play, slowing the point down and enabling her to reset. Meanwhile, Dignan’s defensive legend was on display during the final, as she adeptly countered a barrage of powerful Board forehands, ultimately forcing an error from the Sale player.
The match ended in triumph for Sale, setting them up with a one set to nil lead.
In the men’s doubles, friendly banter throughout the warmup and most of the first set quickly gave way to a feeling of urgency as Allman and Kennedy shot to a 6-3 first set and 5-0 second set lead.
Not having won a game on serve, the pressure was on Glynn, who was serving to keep Sale in the match.
Fending off three overhead smashes in a row, Glynn was steadfast in nailing down the third, culminating in a tense first point in Sale’s favour.
It was a back-and-forth game, indicative of the even matchup between the sides.
Tied at deuce, a finessed overhead smash off Allman’s racquet had Glynn scrambling to hit a defensive lob around his body. Although the lob hit its mark, Allman decisively put a volley away to bring up Maffra’s first match point.
In an ideal world, Maffra would have preferred not to serve for the match. But this wasn’t to be, as they lost their first match point and subsequently lost the game to a lucky mishit off Glynn’s frame, taking the second set score to 5-1.
Although the scoreline was overwhelmingly in Maffra’s favour, Allman and Kennedy served for the match but lost their games.
Sale capitalised, winning five games in a row before Kennedy redeemed Maffra’s losing streak on serve to keep their noses in front. Board stepped up to serve at 6-5.
Facing three break points (three match points for Maffra), Board held his nerve. Despite saving one, an assertive net play by Allman targeting Glynn’s body clinched the victory for Maffra. The final score stood at 6-3, 7-5.
BY the time mixed doubles were played, a large crowd had gathered in the Robin Lowe Arena. They were championing the ‘tennis clap’ – a not too loud or fast applause, punctuated with the occasional ‘c’mon’ and ‘let’s go’ as they appreciated the best points.
Both matches were decided in third set super tiebreakers.
The Allman siblings faced Jess Boad and Glynn in some of the most dynamic tennis played in the season.
Mitch was at his athletic best, driving short high balls from an airborne position, getting his whole body behind his irretrievable projectiles.
Board played a tactical match by looking for opportunities to hit blistering passing shots down the line.
At the onset of the super tiebreaker, Sale capitalised on an early break as they shot out to a 6-0 lead.
Some of Mitch’s ill-timed net approaches lacked the SABR-esque finesse (Sneak Attack by Roger) he was looking for. Failing to anticipate fast returns early enough that eventually landed at his feet, Allman was left scrambling to half-volley the ball, but was unsuccessful.
Glynn and Board were victorious, wining 6-2, 3-6, 10-1.
Meanwhile, the Kennedy-Dignan and Cal Board-Virgo matchup was an endurance battle with long full-court rallies.
Following a 15-shot Kennedy to Virgo rally, a floating shot off Kennedy’s racquet set up an easy overhead put away for Board.
A shank off the frame sent the overhead into the net.
Having had a frustrating day on the net, Board launched his racquet at the back fence, earning some ‘oohs’ from spectators.
By this time, the other mixed doubles had been settled.
After regrouping, Board and Virgo gritted their teeth in the super tiebreaker.
Despite Kennedy’s desperate defence at the net that had the crowd on the edge of their seats, an enthusiastic high-five between Board and Virgo signalled the match had ended in a Sale victory, 6-4, 4-6, 10-5.
With that, Sale claimed the championships, having won three matches out of four played.
SALE and Stratford had a team in two finals, even playing off for the Section 2 Championship.
On the last stretch of the road to championship bliss, Stratford’s Mark Kennedy and Christine Shingles faced Sale’s Lisa Harrison and Josh Barbetti in the mixed doubles.
The match was a spectator’s dream.
Kennedy was as dynamic as ever, elegant in rallies from the baseline, running to all angles of the court, trying to get a racquet on every ball as Barbetti decisively directed play from Sale’s side of the court.
In other matches, Stratford’s Jacob Kennedy was a master of precision, using his slice backhand drop shot to effect, ending points decisively.
For Sale, Jo Mactier and Lachie Reynolds engaged in a battle with Stratford’s Anna Norris and David Auld. In a theme of the day, it became the fifth match ending with an 8-4 scoreline and one of three that Sale managed to take away from Stratford.
Stratford backed up their 2022/23 WGTA Championships victory with another pennant as they cruised to championship glory, having won six out of the nine sets played.
In Section 3, Briagolong, a team that was lucky to field a team in the 2023/34 season, triumphed against Stratford.
Cooper Clutterbuck took to the court for Stratford following a morning playing in the junior Section 1 final. With doubles partner Ray Weber, they clinched victory over Briagolong’s Harry Conway and Gerard Condon 8-3.
But in the last mixed doubles of the day, Condon and Tracie Binger defeated Clutterbuck and Kirsten Redfern, helping Briagolong to a five sets to four championship victory.
Overall, the WGTA Championships were ace, reflecting a positive season for the future of tennis. Testament to this, Gippsland’s young players, like 14-year-old Louis Lazzaro, who stepped into Section 1 seniors this season, learned valuable lessons from Sale Dahlsens’ doubles partner, Tim Dunnett.
Jess Board is another one to watch. Her polished and powerful brand of tennis has elevated her to a deserving high ranking among her team.
She’s a player who can even out-rally the most experienced players like Mitch Allman, whom spectators admitted they would not want to face, as Board did in the mixed doubles final at the weekend on Saturday.
As the countdown to the ever-popular Maffra Easter Tennis Tournament hits three days, players won’t be tucking their racquets away just yet. The club has spent the last month preparing the courts to be in top condition. The tournament will take place from Friday, March 29 until Monday, April 1.
