BLUSTERY conditions affected the quality of play last Saturday in the Sunraysia District Tennis Association first division, but while some teams may have seen their chance of playing finals blown away, others were propelled into contention.
Sacred Heart Guns blew Nichols Point Guns and Roses out of the water.
Brianna Bagnall, Leanne Jordan and Kerrie Lynch were far too strong for the Nichols Point women, who did not win a set.
The Nichols Point men picked up two doubles but the eight-sets-to-two win gave Sacred Heart 10 points for the afternoon and saw them take over top spot on the ladder.
Sarnia Sloggers, despite a win on Saturday, slipped to second.
In gruelling conditions Sloggers’ men proved unbeatable against Nichols Point Legends.
Ryan Samaras won his singles 8-3 over Aaron Wilkie, and Joel Hamilton and Warren Searle showed that a firmly hit ball is the way to go in the wind.
However, the Nichols Point women levelled the scores.
Renee Affleck used the wind to her advantage in an 8-0 blow-out against Alana Wall.
Heather Olofsson and Nat Thomas, teaming with Affleck, were too strong for the Sarnia women in the doubles.
Not for the first time this season the match was decided by the mixed doubles, where wins to Hamilton and Brenda Hornsby (8-7) and Searle and Demi Turlan (8-2) gave the match to Sloggers, six sets to four.
Legends collected five points but have slipped back into fourth place.
They say that the wind is a leveller and this seems to have been the case in Alcheringa Avengers’ match against Red Cliffs Rebels, where they finished five sets all.
Red Cliffs Rebels’ 5.5 points was enough to see them elevated to third on the ladder but not enough to get the win against an improving Alcheringa Avengers who won the day on games, 69 to 60.
While finals seem unlikely for the Avengers they may still have a say in shaping the final four.
