EPSOM Butterflies ensured a third-place finish on the Bendigo Tennis Association’s premier league ladder, after an eight-game win on Saturday against Spring Gully Bigpond.
The Butterflies fought back to win the last two sets to seal victory in the round 18 contest.
Bigpond made a great start, with the combinations of Craig Nolan and Barry Green, along with Jack Baker and Reubin Ellis able to outplay their opponents on the slick grass to score opening doubles wins.
Danielle Bowles and Jane St Clair earned Epsom’s first points in the doubles, with an 8-0 victory against Heather Robbins and Ellie Gladman. The singles were split at six-all.
Matt Hartland outlasted Craig Nolan in a tiebreaker, with further Butterflies wins to Bowles against Robbins, 8-6, and St Clair against Gladman, 8-2.
The Bigpond men of Barry Green, Jack Baker and Reubin Ellis all scored impressive victories to give the Spring Gully team a 5-4 lead at the mixed.
Robbins and Green combined successfully against Brad Booth and Bowles.
However, doubles wins to Rob Jefferies and Jane St Clair, 8-5, and Matt Hartland and Jono Guy, 8-6, levelled the match on sets, giving the Butterflies a narrow eight-game win.
Bendigo Lawn looked every bit the premiership favorites with a clinical performance against South Bendigo.
The 10-2 win guaranteed Lawn of a top spot finish on the ladder.
A full-strength Lawn Lawn got off to a terrific start, capturing the opening three doubles sets through Curt and Ward Garwood, Leroy Miller and Stefan Butson, and Tamara Wright and Mandy Connors-Butson.
South rallied through an unlikely source, with young gun Paige Ipsen scoring her best premier league win against Tamara Wright in the opening singles, 9-7.
That was the end of the joy for South in the singles matches as Lawn won the other five.
Simon Kelly was the best performer for South, in pushing Stefan Butson 8-6.
The mixed was much the same with Lawn dominating through Garwood and Wright, 8-6, and Connors-Butson and Miller, 8-2.
Alistair Baker and Frank Ryan captured South’s second points of the afternoon as they defeated Ward Garwood and Stefan Butson in the last men’s doubles, 8-6, to give some small reward for a tough afternoon.Best player for the winners included Curt Garwood, Leroy Miller and Mandy Connors-Butson.
Spring Gully Brougham Arms continued its winning run with an impressive 9-3 thrashing of Strathdale Park Storm. The win was just the tonic for the Broughie as it looks to build confidence for the opening qualifying final with Bendigo Lawn on March 13.
The Broughie will have a few concerns coming from the match.
The Strath Storm opening pair of Terry Smith and Andrew Lethlean was able to inflict a bit of damage on Jamie Brown and Steve Cox in taking the opening men’s doubles in a tiebreaker.
Smith registered his second win of the season against Brown, 8-6 in singles.
Lethlean outplayed Cox to win 8-5.
The lower order men of the Broughie, Shane Cox and Peter Valentine proved too strong for Danny Watson and Zoltan Smyth in both doubles and singles.
The Broughie combination of Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne continued their top season as they accounted for Tova Penno and Narelle Smyth in their three sets.
Spring Gully powered through the mixed and last men’s doubles.
Three set winners for the Broughie included Shane Cox, Peter Valentine, Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne. Terry Smith and Andrew Lethlean were Storm’s top contributors.
Email a friend