Fourth leg brings out the best

Men’s and ladies doubles marked the return of the Albany & Districts Tennis League for the first time in 2020, as the event supported by Lower Great Southern Tennis Association attracted plenty of interest at Lawley Park Tennis Club last Sunday.

The league is the first of its kind in the Great Southern and has received great support, with 46 players taking to the courts for the fourth of the six-leg series.

The men’s B-grade consolation final was a tight affair, going to the wire as Trevor Scott and Kevin Castrique went head-to-head with Andrew and Mark Hanson.

It was a high-quality final and both pairs traded blows and were locked together at six games apiece.

The final was sent to a tie-breaker where Scott and Castrique were able to get the upper hand and prevail nine games to seven.

Sisters and Tenterden Tennis Club members Alexandra Riggall and Clare King, faced off rather than played in combination during Sunday’s matches.

Riggall and King usually play with each other but were on opposing sides for this event as Riggall and Wilsher-Saa defeated King and Katie Stan-Bishop, six games to two in an entertaining match.

Ross Truscott and Vincent Brochard recorded a convincing nine games-to-two win over rivals Dan Burke and Les Bairstow to take out the men’s A-grade final.

Nathan Crudeli and Joe Ellis — both newcomers in the league — cruised their way through the qualifying matches and then pushed aside Andrew Slade and Tom Hillman in the men’s B-grade final to win 6-1.

The ladies consolation event was won by Vanessa Hillman and Sue White, registering a 6-2 win over Kym Bairstow and Leigh Castrique.

The next event in the league will be played on Sunday, February 16 and will consist of men’s and ladies singles. Registrations need to go to organisers Brochard or Les Bairstow by February 14.