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Echuca 1 continues to roll

Tight contest: Rich River’s Darren Short narrowly won his singles set against LBU, but his team ultimately fell short in a back-and-forth match. Photo by Aidan Briggs

The top two lengthened their lead as third faltered in this week’s Campaspe Tennis Association division one action.

Echuca 1 vs Echuca 2

It was business as usual for Echuca 1, recording its 14th straight win to remain undefeated.

This time Echuca 2 was the victim as Echuca 1 took the match 9-80 to 4-67, including a win in both singles rubbers.

Todd Charnas needed a tie-break to get past Chris Potter 7-6, but Stephen Hope had an easier time in the other singles, winning it 6-1 over Echuca 2’s Shaun Trice.

The men’s doubles saw Echuca 1 win two out of three, with Ryan More and Daryl Poole the only pair to record a win for Echuca 2.

The women’s doubles were split evenly, including Megan Farrell and Vicki Bavich scoring an 8-2 win for Echuca 1, only for Jessica Cox and Tanya Godfrey to counter in the following set, recording an 8-1 win for Echuca 2.

Trice and Cox combined for a dominant 8-0 victory in their mixed doubles, but it was the only bright spot for Echuca 2 as Echuca 1 took the other three sets and ultimately the match.

Rochester vs Echuca 3

Coming off its first win in the competition, Echuca 3 couldn’t capitalise on a dream start and missed out on going back-to-back, falling to Rochester 7-88 to 6-61.

Echuca 3 started brilliantly, winning the first five sets to build a big lead, with Matthew Rosendale and Silas Kingma both scoring wins in the singles.

However, things turned sharply as Rochester took all four women’s doubles by a combined 32 games to 8, including Michelle Winchcomb and Karen Taylor pairing up for an 8-0 victory.

Echuca 3 could only manage one set in the mixed doubles, a narrow 8-7 triumph by Joshua Hunter and Carly James, as Rochester ran away with the other three sets (all 8-3) to secure victory.

Lockington-Bamawm United vs Rich River

LBU surprised the higher-placed Rich River to record a win, 7-82 to 6-72.

It was a match that swung back and forth throughout, with Rich River’s Darren Short, and LBU’s Harrison Condliffe each winning a set for their respective sides in the singles.

Short and Josh Boyd (8-3) recorded the biggest win in the men’s doubles, as Rich River won two of three sets.

The women’s doubles were also tightly contested, with both sides taking two apiece.

Charlotta Groenewald won both sets she participated in, first with partner Trina Godfrey, and then pairing with Amber Boyd (both 8-5).

LBU eventually established dominance and took the match in the mixed doubles, winning three of four, including an 8-1 victory for the team of Ian Haines and Lois Toohey.