3 November 2014 | Tennis Tasmania

In a mad scramble to qualify for the Tasmanian Tennis League finals all teams left nothing on the table as they leashed an all-out assault on their opposition. After a fabulous weekend of competition kicking off under the lights at Geilston Bay the competition is now down to four men’s teams and two women’s teams as the stakes get higher in the finals rounds.

Round three kicked off on a picturesque Friday night in Geilston Bay. The host Aces were facing a very stern test against the highly fancied Lindisfarne Sharks with the Geilston Bay Tennis Club on showcase during their club carnival. There was a capacity crowd in attendance with many activities including a speed serve and hit the target blow up amongst some of the entertainment on offer. After all the dust settled it was two very relieved teams and two teams to rue lost opportunities. Fittingly each of the teams won a contest with the Aces prevailing in the men’s (4-2) and lady Sharks eking past the lady Aces with a count back on sets won. With the Aces men and lady Sharks a certainty now to top their conference it was a very nervous few days of waiting and wishing for the losing teams.

Next up on the roadshow was a visit to the Launceston Regional Tennis Centre with all four North conference teams on display as the Cobras and Rams celebrated their very own club carnival day. With almost 100 players participating in events including Super 10s, Super 12s and the headline Tasmanian Tennis League the Launceston centre was on show (and it didn’t disappoint!). Jumping castles, speed serve and the very unique Tongan dancing was the flavour of entertainment with something for all ages. After a few hours of thoroughly entertaining tennis action it was the Cobras staying perfect on the season and claiming the top ranked position in the North with a comfortable win over the winless Titans. In thus far the match of the competition Titans captain and leader Ken Ho outlasted top ranked James Bolzonello in a match which had everything. Ho’s grace and angles were on full show against Bolzonello’s brute force and aggression as three sets were required to decide the winner.

With all the excitement and flare of their shared counterpart the Launceston Rams have been a team sneaking under everyone’s radar. With the no fuss approach of Andrew Youl, Ben Barnett and Scott Jones the Rams demolished the more highly fancied Burnie Broncos without dropping a match. The Rams weathered an early Broncos onslaught before steamrolling their opposition with relative ease. Youl lead the way in his opening match defeat of Robert Easther. After dropping the first set, Youl calmly got his teeth into the match, claiming the next two sets with his old school approach. The Rams are no longer flying unnoticed and will be a formidable opponent in their semi-final contest.

Lastly on a sad note yesterday’s contest between the Kingston Sea Eagles and Domain Wizards was abandoned due to the inclement weather. With both teams needing to win big to make the finals round the rain fell heavy and consistent at the Kingston Tennis Club as both teams watches their season wash away.

We thank the Burnie Broncos, Domain Wizards (men and women), Kingston Sea Eagles (men and women) and Trevallyn Titans for their participation in the Tasmanian Tennis League and no doubt they will be coming back bigger and better next year.

Tasmanian Tennis League Round 3 Results:

South Conference Friday 31^st October 6.30pm

Men – Geilston Bay Aces (2-0-1) 4-8-39 defeated Lindisfarne Sharks (1-1-1) 2-4-28

Women – Lindisfarne Sharks (2-0-1) defeated Geilston Bay Aces (1-1-1)

Men-North Conference, Saturday 1st November 1pm

Launceston Cobras (3-0) 5-11-48 defeated Trevallyn Titans (0-3) 1-2-19

Launceston Rams (2-1) 6-11-47 defeated Burnie Broncos (1-2) 0-2-28

South Conference Sunday 2^nd November 1pm

Men – Kingston Sea Eagles (0-1-2) drew Domain Wizards (0-1-2)

Women – Kingston Sea Eagles (0-1-2) drew Domain Wizards (0-1-2)

Team results including ladders and individual results can be found by going to www.comps.tennis.com.au and typing in ‘Tasmanian Tennis League’.