BENDIGO Lawn aced another premiership hopeful with a convincing win against the third-placed Epsom Butterflies in the Bendigo Tennis Association’s premier league clash on Saturday.
The win at the Bendigo Bank tennis complex in Nolan Street added to Lawn’s previous round wins against Spring Gully Bigpond and Spring Gully Brougham Arms in the past month.
It was again the Lawn men who proved the difference in this contest, taking their opening six sets of the day through the play of brothers Curt and Ward Garwood, along with Leroy Miller and Nick Bath.
The Garwood brothers got the Lawn off to a great start, with a high-class doubles victory against Matt Hartland and Shane Burke.
Miller and Bath then completed an 8-0 demolition of Robert Jefferies and Jono Guy.
In the women’s, Epsom was desperate to stay in the match.
Danielle Bowles and Jane St Clair again proved too strong for Lawn’s Mandy Connors-Butson and fill-in Halle Wild.
The contest hit the singles, with Lawn dominating the men’s and Epsom the women’s.
Wins to Bowles and St Clair for the Butterflies kept their team in the match at the mixed.
With the Lawn needing only one of the remaining mixed sets, it was again captain Curt Garwood who combined with Mandy Connors to seal the victory with an 8-4 victory against Hartland and Bowles.
The last two sets of the day went one apiece.
Epsom’s Rob Jefferies and Jane St Clair combined successfully before Lawn’s Ward Garwood and Leroy Miller won the final set of the day, 9-7, against a desperate Shane Burke and Jono Guy.
Three set winners for the Lawn included the Garwood brothers, Ward and Curt, along with Leroy Miller. Jane St Clair was the best contributor for the Butterflies in capturing her three sets.
Spring Gully Bigpond scored its first win of 2010 with a hard-fought eight-game win against the bottom-placed Castlemaine.
It was a much-needed victory for the Bigpond as it aims to build confidence leading into its first finals campaign in March.
The Castlemaine side opened well, taking two of the opening three doubles.
Leigh Campbell and Pat McMillan fought back brilliantly to beat Bigpond’s Jack Baker and Leon Retallick 9-7, before Dean Harris and Nathen Mitchell proved too strong for Reubin Ellis and Travis Johnston.
It was again the Bigpond women who proved the difference between the teams, with Eliza Long and Heather Robbins combining successfully in the opening doubles, before both went on for easy singles victories against Alyssa Cole and Chloe McKenzie.
The men’s singles was much tighter.
McMillan and Nathen Mitchell won their matches for Castlemaine against Leon Retallick and Travis Johnston respectively.
However, Jack Baker and Reubin Ellis were both successful in their singles matches, giving the Bigpond team a one-set lead at the mixed.
Castlemaine fought back in the final sets, with the last men’s doubles win to Campbell and Harris to level the match.
However, when Heather Robbins and Travis Johnston combined to defeat Nathen Mitchell and Chloe McKenzie, the Bigpond had a sixth set and enough games to take the win.
Pat McMillan and Alyssa Cole fought back match points in the final mixed of the day to overcome Jack Baker and Eliza Long in a tie-breaker.
Spring Gully Brougham Arms dominated its round 17 clash with a disappointing South Bendigo.
With the South team unable to find a fourth man, despite having eight registered male players, it was forced to forfeit three sets for the afternoon, making a win near impossible.
South’s problems were compounded with Andrew Lethlean’s sets being forfeited because he was an unregistered player.
In the matches that did count, it was the Broughie men who dominated to take all singles and doubles sets to ensure a crushing win.
Jamie Brown, Travis Toner and Shane Cox all played well, as they look towards their fifth-consecutive finals appearance.
South did have some reason for hope, with the women’s combination of Paige Ipsen and Maxine Everitt taking their singles and doubles sets against Jo Artivilla and Lynda Gallager respectively.
Strathdale Park Storm had the bye.
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