THE Bendigo Tennis Association’s Premier League teams will play on the Barnard Street lawn courts for the final time in the 2009-10 season in today’s 18th round.
Match of the round will be the third-placed Epsom Butterflies against fourth-placed Spring Gully Bigpond. The teams will meet again in an elimination final on March 13, so both will be keen to gain an advantage.
Play will be on courts one, two and three at the Barnard Street complex.
Epsom Butterflies will be aiming to bounce back from an 8-4 loss to premiership favorites Bendigo Lawn. The Epsom men were beaten in all singles and doubles sets last week.
Matt Hartland will this week be joined by Brad Booth in the opening doubles.
They are likely to take on Bigpond’s Jack Baker and Craig Nolan.
Baker had a great win against Hartland when these teams last met.
In the lower order, Barry Green and Ruebin Ellis will pair for the Bigpond against Robert Jefferies and Jono Guy. The Epsom Butteflies combination of Danielle Bowles and Jane St Clair was in terrific form last week, in taking their combined singles and doubles sets.
Bowles was impressive in a tiebreaker win against Lawn’s Mandy Connors-Butson.
Bigpond will be without Eliza Long for today’s clash.
With the Bigpond likely to have the better of the men’s and Epsom the women’s, this match should be well poised for a close finish.
Bigpond to win 7-5.
Spring Gully Brougham Arms will play Strathdale Park Storm on courts 9, 10 and 11.
Although ladder positions would seem to suggest this match is a forgone conclusion, the Storm is aiming for a fourth consecutive win.
The Gully will be looking for Jamie Brown and Travis Toner to get the team going against the experienced Andrew Lethlean and Terry Smith.
The doubles and singles sets could go either way between these four, setting the stage for a close finish.
In the lower order men, Storm’s father-son combination of Michael and Zoltan Smyth will take on the Cox brothers, Steven and Shane.
The Broughie will welcome back regular combination Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne.
The pair teamed with Danielle Bowles, Michelle Rodwell and Alyssa Cole to win the women’s A grade section for a record fourth consecutive year at last week’s VCTA Country Week in Swan Hill.
The Broughie to win 7-5.
South Bendigo takes on Bendigo Lawn on courts six, seven and eight.
South has a poor second half of the season, and Lawn is unbeaten in eight rounds.
With Stefan Butson likely to return from injury this week, the Lawn will have the luxury of selecting from five proven performers.
South Bendigo will be hoping Alistair Baker, Frank Ryan, Grant Leader and Simon Kelly can play some sublime tennis to match Lawn’s Curt Garwood, Leroy Miller, Nick Bath and Stefan Butson.
South may be tempted to swich the order in a bid to capture the lower order men’s and to keep the team in the match at the mixed.
Bendigo Lawn is still waiting on the return of No.1 player Tamara Wright from injury.
It is the only concern facing the team in its bid to win back to back premierships.
Whether Wright plays or not, Mandy Connors-Butson still provides an ominous presence for the Lawn against South Bendigo’s Maxine Everitt and Paige Ipsen.
Lawn to win 10-2.
Castlemaine has the bye.
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