GOULBURN won their fourth Tennis Victoria Inter-Regional Country Championship title in a row at Mildura Lawn Tennis Club over the weekend.
The championships is an annual teams and individual tournament played in early January over three days at a regional venue in Victoria.
After the completion of the three days of play Goulburn had amassed 347 points, well clear of runner-up Loddon Campaspe on 222.
Northern Mallee – which features Mildura players – rounded out the podium in third place on 167 points.
Goulburn’s victory – highlighted by open singles titles to Jarrod Bingham and Eliza Long – comes on the back of their 2017, 2018 and 2019 wins.
Tournament director Shelly Hart said Goulburn’s dedication to the event over the years had always served them well.
“I think over the past few years they’ve all bought into the team culture; they all support each other,” Hart said.
“They all play when they could be off with family time or off at other tournaments … each year they come back wanting to defend their title.
“With Shepparton as their main focal point for their players and the surrounding area it’s a very strong area – they’ve got Shepparton Lawn and Mooroopna and a few other clubs that give them expertise on grass.”
Hart said she was happy with how the tournament played out, especially after much of Friday afternoon was lost due to heat.
“It was very challenging with the heat,” she said.
“Losing six hours on Friday and then (Saturday) when it was cooler and yesterday with some spots of rain throughout the day meant there was some early starts.
“Unfortunately, we had to reduce some formats on Saturday but we made sure we got everyone through without having to cancel any events, which was great because players are up here to play.”
Hart thanked the volunteers from the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club as well as the Mildura Rural City Council for their support in running the event.
The 2021 Inter-Regional Country Championships will be hosted by the South West region at Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Club.
