By GREG CLYDESDALE THE second season of Beechworth Tennis Club's Wednesday night competition commenced on January 17, as players shrugged off their holiday break and got back on the courts eager to tread the new all weather rebound ace surface. They soon realized that it was a long journey to qualifying for the Australian Open, but it didn’t lessen their enthusiasm. Week two on January 24 the enthusiasm was still high as players emulated the stars of the AO and tried out some new techniques. The top spin has been adopted by many players while court movement and shot placement is being improved to add some method to the chaotic flourishes. The team results in the second round may have been influenced by some standout performances. Darren McCormick and his Alpine Survey and Mapping team struggled with the higher bounce and the solid performance of the Indigo Real Estate team who won every set in a commanding performance. Simon, who was filling in for Andrew Corcoran, proved a valuable replacement, winning the battle over Simon M in each of their contests. Team Beechworth Coffee Roasters were nearly as impressive with a five set to one set scoreline over team Alpine Indigo Accounting. While each match was close the comprehensive seven games to one result of Rod Watson and Ann Henderson over Angus and Sue Fendyk turned the result. Adam Fendyk fought valiantly to lift his teammates winning twelve games in total in entertaining and enjoyable contests. Team Myrtleford Furnishings and Flooring ended the night with a sound four sets to two win. Both teams nights was reflected in the last set when Rachael Cavellin and Greg Clydesdale won eight games to nil, but with every game going to deuce the final score did not reflect the closeness of the set. Team Shingleback Off Road and Team Burder Industries had a similar four set to two result with Jeremy Schmolzer and Christie Bence winning seven games to one over Mick Cavellin and Kevin Ormrod defying the final result. Teams are getting to know each other's skills and there is more cohesion in movement and placement, as the enthusiasm for improvement of skills is joining the social enjoyment and awareness of fitness demands which all players are commenting on. With nine teams there is a bye team each week which means there are reserve players to choose from if a player is absent. Round 4 on February 7 sees Team Myrtleford Furnishing and Floor take on Team Alpine Survey and Mapping. Team Nor Mac Rural will play Team Burder Industries while Shingleback Off Road play Alpine Indigo Accounting, with Indigo Real Estate to play Beechworth Coffee Roasters to round out the fixture. Pritchard Plumbing will enjoy the bye. After these early rounds we can begin to see the teams and combinations that will influence the ladder standings.
