A STRONG field of entries is expected again for the the 64th annual Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club Championships this weekend.
Organisers hope the usual late flurry of registrations will take the three-day tournament past 100 entries again, with the open singles fields expected to be wide open and competitive.
Neither of last year’s singles winners Renee Affleck or Xavier Kendall are competing which means two new champions will be crowned.
While the women’s competition could go a number of ways, four-time men’s champion Troy Kelly will be an early favourite, as will 2022 champion Zac Galbraith.
Young gun Jack Burford, who claimed his third consecutive Red Cliffs Junior championship last weekend, will also be in the mix.
Club president Gavin Lynch believes there will be some great competition among the singles and doubles fields, however a change of schedule may be on the cards with the weather forecast to have a say in the order of proceedings.
Saturday’s forecast of 40 degrees will exceed Tennis Victoria guidelines by the afternoon which will see the order of play flipped.
Friday night’s Twilight 60s competition, where the combined age of partners must be 60 or more, and double championships will likely be completed on Saturday morning before the worst of the heat, while singles brackets will take place on Sunday.
“After the juniors last week we’re hoping for a great turnout again this weekend,” Lynch said.
“We have our usual travelling crew who come from Broken Hill and Adelaide, with some also from Sydney this year, so it’s a tournament people look forward to competing in.”
The 63rd annual Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club Championships start Friday night.
