The Numurkah Lawn Tennis Club had a high number of participants turn out for its 93rd Annual Tennis Tournament over the weekend.
Having been worried about how many players would attend the historical tournament earlier in the week, the club was happy to say that the high number of participants in doubles matches and the return of junior competition meant the weekend was a resounding success.
In the men’s A-grade doubles final, club champion Nick Fenaughty and Yarrawonga’s Tom McKimmie came out victorious, winning eight games to three.
McKimmie believes a mix of nice weather, a strong turnout and good facilities helped the tournament succeed.
“It’s been unreal,” he said. “It’s awesome to get out to these smaller communities and get involved in their sporting events.
“It’s the first time I have played (at this tournament). I had the singles yesterday where I lost to Nick, who eventually won it, then today we teamed up and it was awesome.“
The name ‘Nick Fenaughty’ carries a bit of weight around the Numurkah Lawn Tennis Club as the club champion has won the men’s singles tournament eight times overall.
Newly anointed club president Elliot Small believes that repeated success from a local in the tournament is good for both the club and the town. But the president thinks that the main highlight from the weekend was the return of junior matches to the tournament.
“We had junior matches back for the first time in eight years on Friday and that was a big success,” he said.
“Today (Sunday) has been perfect conditions and almost record numbers in the Men’s Doubles.”
Despite concerns earlier in the week over how many participants there would be, Small hopes that the strong turnout over the weekend is a sign that the tournament has longevity.
One of the main benefits of Numurkah’s tournament is that the competition is set up in a round-robin style, meaning all participants play a minimum of three games and can’t be knocked out in the first round. Small believes this is a point of difference to other tennis clubs.
“Some of these bigger clubs host tournaments where there are lots of players, and it’s knockout, so you might rock up and only play for one match for the day,” he said.
“Whereas here you are guaranteed tennis and the opportunity to socialise and mingle with some other people.
“I think that is one of the big draw cards for us.“