HOT TENNIS: Jill Breadon keeps her eye on the ball in the heat last Saturday, with partner Karyn Fraser behind. PHOTO: Peter Hunt
Written by By DAVID MIMS.
MANSFIELD took on Benalla Lawn Green in round 13 of the Benalla and district competition on Saturday.
Under hot skies at home, the tennis was close all day, as was the heat.
Led by the women’s team of Karyn Fraser, Kathryn Murray, Claire Beecham and Jill Breadon, Mansfield won three of the four sets with a handy seven game advantage.
The men’s team of Guy Taylor, Chris Kerr, Peter Grey and David Mims won two of four sets, with Benalla one game up.
Both teams agreed to press on with the mixed set rather than breaking for afternoon tea, and Mansfield went in with a six game advantage.
Kerr and Fraser nearly squandered a 7-2 lead, dropping the next five games, but prevailing in a tie-break, while Grey and Breadon came away with an 8-4 victory, but with Breadon suffering from the heat.
Taylor and Murray had a hard set with powerful hitting, especially between Taylor and his opponent Bernie O’Halloran, both men playing blistering tennis to match the heat.
The Benalla combination won 8-5, also winning the final set against Mims and Beecham.
The final margin saw Mansfield victorious seven sets to five, 74 games to 71.
Next week it’s another home fixture against top side Lawn Blue.
A working bee was held on Sunday morning at the clubrooms to tidy things up, with sweeping of courts, gardening, gutter clearing and some important electrical work with the lights.
Many thanks to the following people for giving up their Sunday morning to assist - Ted Lovick, Doug Galbraith, Danny Cahill, Rhonda and Bob Carpenter, David and Debbie Mims, Peter Grey and Karyn Fraser.
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