Sport

Rochester returns to home court

By Rohan Aldous

Nov 28, 2022

Reach for the sky: Keeley Major was a star for Rochester in its division three winning match on the Rochester court on Saturday morning.

Dried up: Rochester tennis star Karen Taylor said all but one of the lawn courts had recovered well from the October flood event.

Rochester’s division two female trio produced a powerful display against Colbinabbin to start its 2022-23 season with a win on Saturday.

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Colbinabbin won all five male sets, singles and doubles, but that was where it stopped and Rochester won the remaining eight sets (women’s and mixed) for an 21-game overall win 8-5 (64-43).

Mandy Dingwall was brilliant, not dropping a single game as she combined with Trudee Leahy and Christine Hooppell to lead the Rochester team to victory.

Dingwall also combined with Howard Armstrong for a 6-0 mixed set victory.

Rochester’s division one team had the bye and will start its season this weekend against an Echuca opponent.

Leahy and Simon Cousins had a 6-2 mixed victory, while the closest of the mixed came when Hooppell and Eli Armstrong were taken to a tie-breaker in their mixed set.

• Tobie Woodfine’s start to the season continued on from week one when he won his singles 6-0 and combined with Harrison Foster and Ray Pearson for successive doubles wins.

Rochester lost only two of the eight sets in the division one match with Echuca, Pearson losing his singles 4-6 and Jude Murrared beaten with the same scoreline in his singles.

The final score was 6-2 (44-23) in Rochester’s favour.

Woodfine and Foster won their doubles 6-1 after Woodfine won his singles 6-0 and Foster his set 6-1.

• Lockington Bamawm United’s division one team won by 10 games, James Brentnall unbeaten in three sets and Nicholas Mitchell showing similar form.

LBU won the match 6-3 (42-32) as only a tie-break singles loss for Tye Cox and the singles defeat of Brodie Humbert cost it a perfect result.

Cox and Charlie Byrne won a thrilling doubles tie-breaker, as did Mitchell and Byrne in the final set.

• Rochester was flawless in its division two win against Echuca, winning 6-0 (36-11) as it opened with successive 6-0 doubles wins.

Jack Alberni and Cadence Major started with a perfect scoreline, then Evie Coghill and Charles Watson repeated the effort. Lexie McKenzie joined the pair for successive wins.

• Keeley Major and Jasmine Watson were involved in all four Rochester division three winning sets as their team scored a six-game win.

The 4-2 (29-23) result came after the pair combined for a 6-1 win, following on from Taylor Murray and Asher Lehmann’s 6-4 set victory.

Murray and Major won and then Lehmann combined with Watson for a 6-2 win. In between the Rochester team lost two sets, but kept its lead.

• Rochester’s second division three team was best served by Tomas Albani and Logan Sparkes as they scored a 15-game win against Elmore opposition.

The 4-2 (33-18) win came as Albani and Sparkes won with 6-2 and 6-1 scorelines in all four of the sets they were involved in.

Nate Mussared and Ruby Connelly were brave in a tie-break loss in their doubles.

• Other results: Seniors (division one): LBU lost to Rich River 4-9 (76-84); LBU 2 d Echuca 10-3 (87-60). Division two: Elmore d Echuca 9-4 (62-48).

Juniors (Division one): Elmore lost to Echuca 4-4 (37-33). Division two: Elmore (6) d Echuca 4-2 (31-19); Elmore (5) d LBU (5) 5-1 (35-16); LBU (6) d Echuca 5-1 (34-12); Elmore (4) d Colbinabbin 6-0 (36-9); Elmore (3) d LBU (4) 3-3 (30-29). Division three: Colbinabbin lost to Echuca 0-6.