MCCRAE surged ahead of McCallum to claim top place on the Swan Hill tennis pennant ladder on Saturday.
Gray retained third and Curlewis also made ground, moving into fourth place.
Splatt fell to fifth, and Stradbroke to sixth, with Beveridge and Campbell remaining in seventh and eighth places respectively.
In the match of the round, Beveridge scored a two point win over Gray, but in a twist of fate, Gray won 10 sets to Beveridge’s seven.
Gray’s effort in winning the 10 sets allowed it to hold its place in the top four.
The Beveridge men gained an eight game break, with Matt Witney scoring his customary three wins, and Gene Brooks and Darren Wardle putting two on the board.
There were four tiebreak sets for the day in the men’s department — two each way.
Beveridge’s Brooks and Vaughn Catton beat Darren Hender and Spencer McKenzie, and Witney and Tim Gleeson accounted for Christian Devlin and Trevor Holt.
On the Gray side, Holt and Ron Fatt were just too good for Gleeson and John Brookshaw, and McKenzie and Bruce McDowall scored by one game from Catton and Rick Hogan.
Gray scrounged one game back in the women’s sets.
Hayley Siddons and Renee McCaig, Siddons and Milly Saville and McCaig and Jamie Gorringe all won for Gray, while Regina Warne and Elise Morrison scored a big 8-2 win for Beveridge.
Gray again made ground in the mixed sets, with wins to Holt and McCaig, McKenzie and Siddons and McDowall and Gorringe.
Brookshaw and Narelle Maeder were successful for Beveridge, and ultimately their two game win allowed Beveridge to stay just in front.
In the day’s other ties, McCallum lost to Splatt by 16 games, and opened the door for McCrae to go to the top of the ladder.
McCrae’s women were instrumental in the side’s 15 game win over Stradbroke, while Curlewis recorded a big 42 game win over the luckless Campbell.
