Shepparton Lawn Tropics Ben O'Brien winds up a swing of the racquet.
Photo by
Sandra Michalitsis
The first round of the Goulburn Murray Tennis Association’s division one action has arrived, and the five-time reigning champions have made an ace start to the summer.
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Numurkah’s David Poole served up a treat for the Warriors in the first rubber, bageling Mooroopna’s Sid Vijay 8-0, before Grant Chappell continued Numurkah’s early ascendancy over the Stringlab Travellers, bouncing by Zac Harris 8-3.
Mooroopna netted the next two rubbers however, the latter set an impressive 8-0 result for Benjamin Bowles, and as the ladies singles began, the Travellers hit the front 3-27 to 2-23.
However, Mooroopna’s comeback was offset by forfeits.
Across the next seven rubbers, the Travellers succumbed thrice via forfeit, presenting Numurkah the route for its opening win of the season.
The Warriors also notched three of the other four sets also, helping land an 8-81 to 4-43 triumph.
At Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club, the Tropics and Average Joes faced off for an opening inter-club clash.
Last year it was the Tropics, formerly The Valley, that claimed bragging rights by reaching the grand final ahead of the Average Joes, and that same vein has continued for the new season.
The Tropics overcame a 1-17 to 3-28 deficit after the men’s singles to reclaim the lead 3-33 to 3-29 after Hope Curtis-McDonald and Eliza Long dominated with 8-0 and 8-1 rubber wins in the ladies singles.
Trailing 6-62 to 5-60 at the final rubber, the Average Joes were still in the hunt, needing an 8-5 scoreline to produce a confident start to the GMTA summer, but Tropics’ Curtis-McDonald and Kade Madigan pipped Lorenzo Rigoli and Feixu Chang 8-7 for a 7-70 to 5-67 scoreline as the 12th stanza concluded.
News photographer Sandra Michalitsis was parked up on the lawn to capture the GMTA GM1 action between the pair of Shepparton teams.
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