Tennis Victoria's Inter-Regional Country Championships were held in Horsham at the weekend and were a resounding success both on and off the court.
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Approximately 230 players took to the Horsham Lawn Tennis Club courts between Friday and Sunday to test themselves against some of the state's best.
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Wimmera teams claimed their fair share of the silverware with Logan Casey and Tahlia Thompson (Mixed Under 16 Doubles), Tahlia Thompson (Girl's Under 16 Singles), Gemma Walker and Tahlia Thompson (Girl's Under 16 Doubles), Adele Joseph and Emma Streeter (Girl's Under 12 Doubles) and Marli Pymer (Mixed Under 18 Doubles) all winning titles.
According to Sandra Casey, despite some teams losing players to COVID-19 in the leadup, it was "a really good event" with a high standard on show.
"Some age groups didn't lose any of their standard at all, while some were lighter on," Casey said.
From the tournament - which catered for various age categories, ranging from 12 and Under to 50-Plus - Casey pointed to Streeter and Joseph's Girl's Under 12 Doubles win as the "most delightful win of the weekend".
"They were playing in the inter-regionals for the first time and were down 6-4 in their match," she said.
"They came back to win it 8-6, which is pretty phenomenal effort when you're playing sudden death deuce in doubles.
"And it was just delightful, it just captured the moment of what tennis is all about.
"If I could capture that moment, bottle it and give it to anyone that needed some happiness I would have done that."
In addition to seeing some top-notch tennis, on Saturday night spectators (and competitors) were given the thrill of seeing the Australian Open men's and women's trophies up close, as part of the AO on the Road initiative.
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Former world number 25 Nicole Bradtke was also in attendance as part of the tour.
"She (Nicole) was really giving of her time and she puts a lot into giving back to tennis," Casey said.
"Just to have someone of her experience there and she was wandering around throughout the day and talking to people. It was great for the players."
Casey also gave mention to the Horsham Lawn Tennis Club and the "enormous amount of work" they put into preparing for the tournament.
"Not just for the three days but it goes back 12 months and beyond prior to the event," she said.
"To get everything up to standard and there were good reports on the courts.
"It really is a magnificent facility."
After the tournament Goulburn were declared the winners of the 2022 Championships, while the Wimmera finished a respectable fifth.
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