ST MICHAELS Horsham Tennis Club won the Central Wimmera Tennis Association Pennant grand final when it met Drung South on Saturday.
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St Michaels played the tie as strong as ever winning nine sets and 101 games to Drung South’s four sets and 67 games.
St Michaels starlet Steffi McDonald opened on the first rubber defeating Janelle Knight nine games to zero.
Drung South managed two sets back through Dylan Emmerson and Lachie King who defeated Chris Ellis and Ian Nitschke 9-5 and 9-6 respectively.
Jess McDonald put St Michaels back into the lead defeating Kate-Lyn Perkin 9-3.
St Michaels dominated, winning three sets in a row.
Drung South was resilient with Emmerson and Ben Argent winning the eighth rubber 9-7.
Angela Nitscke and Steffi McDonald paired up to dominate Knight and Alex Barnes 9-0 to tally the side’s sixth set.
Steffi McDonald outperformed her opponents all day proving to be a big tie player dominating again, with the help of Kassie Peachey, against Knight and Georgia McLennan 9-0.
King and Argent pulled one set back for Drung South when the pair defeated Nitschke and Nick Robertson 9-4.
It was too much for the trailing side which lost on the final rubber of the day.
Steffi McDonald was outstanding on the day winning all three sets she played in and not losing a single game.
Number one men’s player Ian Nitschke said the whole side played at their best.
“Our women really got us through with them winning all of their sets,” he said.
“Our men managed to win three of their sets.”
Nitschke said Drung South changed their women’s format.
“Steffi didn’t lose a single game for the whole day which I would believe is the first time in Wimmera tennis grand finals history,” he said.
“It was very exciting, once we got our eight set we had won it.”
Drung South player Kate-Lyn Perkin was happy with her sides performance.
“Being able to be apart of a grand final like that was great and being out there on the court was the best part,” she said.
“We had a really good day.”