Sport
4 December, 2025
Wintery conditions bring about thrilling matches
Players were back in their warm gear for round seven of the Ararat and District Tennis Association, with wintery conditions making their unwelcome return. Despite the chill, both top-of-the-ladder teams, Elmhurst-Amphitheatre and Maryborough, continued their strong form.
By Mel Murnane
Maryborough hosted Landsborough, and it was the home side who made the early statement. Their men dominated from the outset, claiming all four sets in convincing fashion to take the section 32–11. The women’s section told a very different story. Every set went down to the wire in a tight, high-quality contest. Landsborough’s women held their nerve when it mattered, winning the section by four games and keeping their team firmly in the match.
Holding a 15-game buffer heading into the mixed, Maryborough looked comfortable, but Landsborough refused to go quietly. The third mixed pairing produced one of the standout matches of the day. Maryborough’s Jonathan Peck & Steph Lierich locked in a gripping battle with Landsborough’s Michael Mitchell & Claire Monaghan. The Landsborough duo edged out a 9–7 win, narrowly avoiding a tie-break in a thrilling finish. Despite that highlight, Maryborough’s earlier dominance proved decisive. The home team secured a strong overall victory, winning 88–61 games and 8–2 match points.
Meanwhile, at Crowlands, a dramatic showdown was unfolding as they hosted ladder-leaders Elmhurst-Amphitheatre. Crowlands’ women got their team off to a flying start, sweeping all four sets and taking an impressive 32–9 lead. But the script flipped in the men’s section, with Elmhurst-Amphitheatre responding in kind winning all four sets to claim the section 32–10 and reduce the overall margin to just one game.
With the match perfectly poised, the mixed section took centre stage. The top two mixed sets lived up to expectations, with both contests stretching close to an hour and narrowly avoiding tie-break finishes. Elmhurst-Amphitheatre claimed both sets, giving them a slim three-game lead heading into the final two rubbers.
The third mixed set was locked at 6–6 before Elmhurst-Amphitheatre broke away to win 8–6, creating valuable breathing room ahead of the final set. That last match was another epic, eventually heading into a tie-breaker. Crowlands won 9–8, but the margin wasn’t quite enough to turn the result. Elmhurst-Amphitheatre escaped with a nail-biting victory, edging out Crowlands 74–70 games and taking the match 8–2 on points.
Saturday, Crowlands will host Maryborough, while Elmhurst-Amphitheatre welcome Buangor-Ararat to Amphitheatre. Landsborough will have the bye.
Read More: Ararat, Buangor, Landsborough, Elmhurst