Shepparton North’s Kade Madigan, Evan Cooknell, Clark Pettigrew, Megan Carr, Di Montgomery, Helen Jackson and Kellie Crosierfound redemption on Saturday.
Shepparton District Tennis Association’s section one premier has been crowned.
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The region’s hard court tennis season came to an exciting climax on Saturday as the league’s top-tier competition had a David and Goliath-style battle cap the summer, with the grand final between Shepparton North and Lemnos held at Central Park.
First-placed Shepparton North went into the final as firm favourite over third-placed Lemnos, despite the latter securing victory in the most recent fixture between the two sides in round 11.
North has been a powerhouse of the association in the past few seasons, winning two out of the previous three premierships.
This was the fourth consecutive grand final for North as it hunted premiership redemption following last season’s loss to McEwen Reserve.
After a slow start to the season, Lemnos came bounding into finals with a hot run of form and was eager to cause a major upset.
However, the fairytale finish for Lemnos was not to be as the underdogs were left to lament what could have been.
Shepparton North won the grand final 6-48 to 3-41 in a hotly-contested decider.
The premier celebrated its third flag in four summers in style, but Shepparton North star Megan Carr said it was not a simple victory for her side.
“It was very exciting, very hot and tightly-contested, which made for some really good tennis to watch and play,” Carr said.
“It felt really tight the whole day, it didn’t actually feel like anyone was in control.
“It felt tough the whole day.”
North's players can now put their racquets away, sweat bands in the wash and champagne on ice as they celebrate a well-deserved victory.
Shepparton North came into the final after securing 44 points — 14 ahead of second-placed McEwen Reserve Red — throughout the home and away season.
Carr said both the men and women contributed to North’s victory.
“It certainly was a team performance, but if you look at the scores our men for the day were fairly strong in terms of their doubles matches,” she said.
“Myself and (Kellie) Crosier, we were down in the women’s doubles, but managed to come back and win in a tie-breaker.
“(Lemnos’) women were very strong and consistent, so there were lots of long rallies.”
After yet another section one flag, Carr said the team’s celebrations were more subdued than in years gone.
“We are all getting a little bit older and sorer after these matches, so there will be a dinner to come in the future,” she said.
“We all went home and rested up, it was a very hot day, so it took it out of us.”
Finally, Carr thanked the hard-working people at Shepparton District Tennis Association for putting on a great grand final day experience.
“There are a bunch of volunteers that run the association for us, hats off to them for the work they do,” she said.
“It was a great day out at Central Park and the vibe was so good and there were a lot of spectators out there cheering on during the section one and two grand finals.”
