FOR some people, this week’s Tennis Victoria Country Week is an annual pilgrimage that’s not to be missed.
Some, such as Wangaratta’s Pat Flynn, have been competing at Country Week for more than 60 years – for others, this week is their first experience of the buzz that comes with five straight days of competition tennis – both on and off the court.
The six players that make up the men’s section 10 team, the Spud Guns, are among those playing for the first or second time, with the team coming from various locations around the Port Phillip and Western Port region of Victoria.
The Spud Guns, so named because “half of us are spuds, the other half are guns,” ventured north to Swan Hill thanks to the encouragement of two team members and their wives, according to Phillip Island’s Peter Crozier.
“We came here because of Nick (Say) and Dan (Leary) and their wives, who came to Country Week last year,” Crozier said.
“They came home and said ‘you boys are coming next year, it’s too much fun and you have to come’, so here we are.
“Nick and Dan are the spiritual leaders of the team and they got me involved, and from there I dragged Shandor (Vezer) into it, who dragged Pete (Roberts) into when we realised we needed more than just four players because we were going to wear out badly.
“We then dragged Steve (Boucher) in at the last minute because we realised maybe we might need a couple of spares, which has turned out to be spot on.”
For Crozier, this week isn’t his first experience at Country Week, but it is his first this century, having last played when the tournament was held at the Fitzroy football oval tennis courts more than 30 years ago.
“That event was good, but this is far better,” Crozier told The Guardian this week.
“It was all in one location like it is here, but then they had the finals at Melbourne Park, which was pretty cool.
“I was a tennis coach between those years and Country Week has always been held in the first or second week of term and I just couldn’t take the time off basically, that’s why it’s been so long.
“I’ve been involved in tennis since I was young, I first picked up a racquet when I was five years old and I’ve been involved pretty much ever since.
“This week has just been phenomenal, it’s so much fun and we’ll definitely be coming back again.”
For Boucher, this week marks his first visit to Swan Hill and to Country Week, with the Rosebud resident extremely thankful to his teammates for the last minute call up.
“I’d never even heard about it before, but I’m absolutely loving it,” Boucher said.
“It’s so well organised, it’s a fantastic setup here and a real compliment to the club and the committee.
“I started playing tennis pretty young and played competition and church tennis, now I’m just playing division 2 tennis down at Boneo and I still enjoy it.
“I play mixed doubles when I can and play three times a week, I never had any aspirations to reach any great heights as a player but I just enjoy the sport too much to stop.”
While the Spud Guns have had mixed success on the court, the week is about much more than just wins and losses, with the experience, laughs and fun set to outlast the results.
“We had a win first up and that was the highlight of our week basically, we beat the other Western Port team so it’s been well worth it,” Crozier said.
“We’ve been in the mix but we haven’t had another win as yet, we’ve won the odd set here and there, but it’s more about the fun after tennis and the people you meet when you finish playing.
“We had a fairly late one last night (Tuesday night) at the Wimbledon whites event, we went until about 3.30am.
“We just love it here and to be honest, what a great town – we’ve had a swim in the Murray, which was fantastic and the best Chinese we’ve ever had too.
“We’ve already booked our accommodation in Shepparton for next year.”
