A LATE dash from Shepparton to Mildura seems a less than ideal preparation for a tournament, but it worked out well for tennis player Xavier Kendall.
The 21-year-old claimed his second Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club singles championship at the weekend, defeating old sparring partner and 2022 winner Zac Galbraith 6-2 in the final.
Meanwhile Renee Affleck claimed her first women’s championship after the format return from last year’s absence, acquiring an 18/4 scorecard in the round robin tournament.
Kendall, the 2020 tournament winner who recently moved from Mildura for his medical placement, said it had been a while between tournaments.
“I haven’t played there for a few years now but it was nice to have a win and get back into playing some tournament tennis,” he said.
“One of my mates Aryeh Talmi, who I played doubles with, is from Colignan so we thought we might come back home to have a go at it.
“We drove up after our last class on Friday so we didn’t take off until 6pm and started playing at 9am on Saturday.
“When there’s been a break I can either come back really well or pretty ordinary but luckily I was hitting them fairly well.”
Kendall topped the men’s Pool A ahead of Broken Hill’s Patrick Reincke, while Galbraith helped provide one of the bigger surprises in denying four-time champion Troy Kelly passage to the final.
Kendall admitted he was made to work for his win in the hot conditions.
“I reckon Sunday was the sorest I’ve ever been, after playing singles and double my smart watch told me I’d done about 30,000 steps and I felt every single one of them,” he said.
“Zac and I have played each other probably about 1000 times, but it was great to play against him again.”
Club president Gavin Lynch lauded the three-day event as one of their best championship tournaments ever, with 110 entries involved over the three days.
“The standard tennis in the championship grades was exceptional, but all the cards were even across the board,” Lynch said.
“It was just a very nice field for the tournament which, overall, was probably one of the best we’ve had.
“Overall there were 110 entries with players from Broken Hill, Geelong, Adelaide, Robinvale, Ouyen and Mildura.
“We certainly have to thank Mildura Lawn Tennis Club who have been brilliant in their support of our tournament.”
Reincke and fellow Broken Hill player Nathan Crabb combined to win the men’s championship doubles, while mother-daughter combination Lisa and Eliza Hill went back-to-back for the women’s doubles.
Galbraith did claim victory in the championship mixed doubles, teaming with 2022 women’s singles champion Heather Olofsson to finish ahead of Aaron Wilkie and Emmie Dowling.
SINGLES
Men’s Championship: Xavier Kendall 18/6, Zac Galbraith 16/2. Kendall def Galbraith in the final 6-2.
Women’s Championship: Renee Affleck 18/4, Emmie Dowling 14/8.
A1 Men’s: Toby Galbraith 18/8, Tague Morris 14/15.
A2 Men’s: Rhys Tiller 21/13, Josh Williams 20/12.
B Grade Men’s: Domenico De Clario 18/3, Andrew Carlson 13/8.
DOUBLES
Men’s Championship: Nathan Crabb and Patrick Reincke 30/18, Zac Galbraith and Nathan Swaeney 29/19.
Women’s Championship: Lisa Hill and Eliza Hill 24/9, Jess Tiller and Deanne Weightman 20/16.
A1 Men’s: Blair Hahnel and Rhys Tiller 30/13, Paul Kealley and Brad Fisher 28/8.
A2 Men’s: Paul Dean and Scott Brady 29/20, Marty Smith and Clinton Edgar 27/25.
B1 Men’s: Domenico De Clario and Brent Byrnes 30/15, Steve Hogan and Cameron Johns 28/16.
B2 Men’s: Shane Wager and Gary Green 30/13, Peter Aikman and Scott Leslie 27/19.
MIXED DOUBLES
Championships: Zac Galbraith and Heather Olofsson 24/10, Aaron Wilkie and Emmie Dowling 17/22.
A Grade: Domenico De Clario and Sue Hardie 18/4, Steve Hogan and Kellie Nulty 14/8.
B Grade: James Sharp and Lucy Sharp 18/5, Len Poole and Donna Milne 14/12.
TWILIGHT 60+
A1 Men’s: Bill Madafferi and Vaughan Marshall 18/10, Matthew Bates and Aaron Wilkie 14/11.
A Grade Women’s: Leanne Jordan and Jen Gathercole 18/9, Kaye Gotts and Breanna Wade 17/11.
A2 Men’s: Blair Hahnel and Campbell McKenzie 18/8, Marty Smith and Toby Galbraith 13/12.
B1 Men’s: Steve Hogan and Will Schrieber 18/12, Grant Leyden and Cameron Johns 16/11.
B1 Women’s: Naomi Brown and Kylie Goulding 18/6, Irene Judd and Jill Larsen 15/7.
B2 Men’s: Rob Hayes and Rob Muspratt 20/12, Brent Baynes and Kaine Goulding 18/13.
B3 Men’s: Chris Verrall and Geoff Spangler 19/6, Len Poole and Ross Murray 16/13.
