SWAN Hill took out the Men’s A Grade division at the Victorian Country Tennis Association (VCTA) Country Week on Friday.
The local side defeated reigning title-holders Mud Island in the grand-final with 2 sets and 27 games to 1 set and 21 games.
Mud Island went into the match as favourites after going through all their eight matches for the tournament undefeated.
However, with Swan Hill playing on familiar territory and coming off the back of five straight wins themselves, the match wasn’t ever going to be an easy one for last year’s winners.
Mud Island took out the first set 8-4 with Matthew Hicks and Ry Davies starting strongly against Swan Hill’s pairing of Malcolm Swan and Corbin Fleming.
That was followed by a tight second set between Rod Wilson and Justin Robinson for Mud Island and Daniel Gardner and Matt Witney for Swan Hill, with the latter duo winning on a tense tiebreaker.
In the third set, Gardner and Witney had an easier time overcoming Hicks and Davies 8-3, with Gardner playing some of the best tennis he’d ever played, according to father Graham.
Swan and Fleming then ran the game home in the fourth, with an 8-3 win against Wilson and Robinson.
It was the third time over the last decade Swan Hill has taken out the title.
Team captain Matt Witney said it felt fantastic to win it.
“The first guys lost 8-4 and we were going out trying to catch up a few games,” Witney said.
“Lucky me and Danny managed to escape out of jail in the tiebreaker and then we won the second set 8-3 against a stronger pair so we’re very happy it turned out that way.”
He’s said the team was helped on by some good fortune throughout the tournament, especially when after it had lost two of its first three group stage matches.
“We’ve come back from behind a few times and won some tiebreakers.
“We’ve had a bit of luck as well, but you create your own luck.
“We just went out there to enjoy ourselves and getting a win was a bonus.”
