Tennis players from around Campaspe Shire are gearing up for another exciting season on the court.
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Lockington-Bamawm United Lawn Tennis Club and Rochester Lawn Tennis Club are set to begin their annual tennis seasons on Saturday, October 12.
Junior and senior competitions will be played on Saturdays, the juniors in the morning and the seniors in the afternoon.
The first half of the season will run from October through until Christmas, when the association will have a break.
The senior competition will return in the second week of January, while the junior competition will restart at the beginning of February, when both competitions will play out their regular seasons. Finals will be played throughout March.
The junior A-grade competition is the only junior level to play singles, while B and C-grade play doubles only.
The seniors will have two grades running throughout the 2024-25 season. Senior teams feature four men and four women, with 13 ties contested in the round, consisting of a handful of singles matches followed by various men’s, women’s and mixed doubles pairings taking to the court.
LBU will host a junior tournament open to any player in the association on Sunday, November 17, while Rochester’s junior tournament will be played a fortnight earlier on November 3.
Echuca, Rich River, Tongala, LBU, Elmore, Rochester and Colbinabbin will all field teams this year. However, Rich River Tennis Club and Colbinabbin Tennis Club will only be active in the junior competition as they are not fielding senior teams this season.
Rochester Lawn Tennis Club president Karen Taylor said the club was excited for the season to begin again, particularly with increased junior interest and competitive teams throughout the club.
“We are just in the process of getting the season organised. We have three senior teams and four junior sides gearing up to play, which is more than last season,” she said.
“It’s great for the club to have so much junior interest.
“Our senior teams were quite competitive last year, with our section one team making the grand final and our section two team winning the grand final, so we are keen to keep up that competitiveness this season.”
Campaspe Tennis Association and LBU president Grant Humbert highlighted the excitement around the region for tennis to begin again this summer, despite preliminary numbers dipping slightly compared to last year.
“I think everyone is pretty excited. We are a fraction down on numbers, but the anticipation is still there,” he said.
“Everyone that I have spoken to is keen to get into it and get the season under way.”
For more information or to get involved with the Campaspe Tennis Association or your local club, phone president Grant Humbert on 0428 106 132.