St Michaels enter finals as favourites
St Michaels will enter the finals of the 2018-19 Central Wimmera Tennis Association season as a red-hot favourite to claim its fourth pennant premiership in a row.
The Saints have tasted defeat just once this season, succumbing to Haven in round seven while fielding several fill-in players.
Since then the Saints have been nearly untouchable, dropping more than four sets on just one occasion and powering their way to the minor premiership.
Their dominance was showcased at the weekend when they dispatched winless Telangatuk East with ruthless efficiency.
St Michaels did not drop a set, and was only seriously challenged in one rubber when Peter Hayes and Nick Robertson beat Telangatuk East’s Luke Byrne and Peter Rogers 8-6.
It was one of only two rubbers in which Telangatuk East won more than three games.
Remarkably, Saint Jess Mcdonald did not lose a single game all day across her three rubbers.
She teamed with partners Angela Nitschke and Barbara Crough for 8-0 doubles wins to go with her 8-0 singles victory against Telgatuk East’s Grace Lutze.
St Michaels’ Ian Nitschke won another 8-0 rubber for his side with a singles drubbing of Daniel Rogers. The final score was a lopsided 14 sets, 112 games to 0-29.
The Saints will now face Horsham Lawn in a first semi-final, with passage directly to the grand final on the line.
Lawn finished second on the ladder despite dropping a tight encounter with Drung South at the weekend.
The Drungsters, led by a magnificent effort from their always-dangerous women, scraped to an 8-93 to 6-89 victory.
Kate-lyn Perkin and Romi Miller defeated singles opponents Cherie Wood and Rachel Mckinnon and were both successful in each of their doubles rubbers.
Horsham Lawn’s Jae Mcgrath and Graeme Wood fought admirably and kept their side within striking distance, but the firepower of Drung South’s women proved too much.
The Drungsters sealed themselves a finals spot with the win, edging out Haven after Kalkee comprehensively beat it on Saturday.
Haven was forced to forfeit three sets because of player shortages but fared little better in the rubbers it did play.
Kalkee brothers Steve and Grant Schultz dominated throughout the day and only Skye Davis’ 8-2 singles triumph against Kee Zandria Malone got Haven on the board.
The final score was Kalkee 13-106 to Haven 1-29.
The Kees now host Drung South in a cutthroat semi-final.
The winner of the Kalkee and Drung South match will play the loser of St Michaels and Horsham Lawn in a preliminary final.