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GMLTA wrap | Season comes to an end as finals fixtures locked in

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Undefeated: Shepparton Lawn Average Joes’ Nicholas Gattuso did not lose a rubber on the day. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

The Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association division one regular season has come to an end, with the top four locked in and finals fixtures confirmed.

Rich River Rebels ended a fantastic season on the grass by taking out the minor premiership, despite having a last-round bye.

They will be joined in the finals series by Numurkah Warriors, Echuca Lawn and Velvet Tigers, with the Rebels and Warriors receiving a double chance.

In the most exciting match of the round, Echuca Lawn downed Shepparton Lawn Average Joes 88-72.

An undefeated day for the Joes’ Nicholas Gattuso was a standout performance, however, it was not enough to get his side over the line.

A big final rubber victory to Echuca’s Zac Harris and Sheree Starling helped get Lawn over the line and hold on to third spot.

In one of the weekend’s other fixtures, Numurkah Warriors sent Velvet Tigers from second to fourth after a crushing 35-game victory.

David Poole set the pace early and went undefeated on the day, combining with Oscar Crilly and Mark Mills to add to his singles win.

Rose Nihill did her best to keep the Tigers in the contest after a big 8-0 rubber win, however, it was not enough.

In the final game of the round, Shepparton Lawn Tropics downed Shepparton Lawn Phoenix Suns by 32 games.

The fifth-placed Tropics were dominant throughout the day, with the duo of Luke Turcato and Will Rhode the only pair to win a rubber for last-placed Suns.

Finals are set to begin this weekend, with Rich River taking on Numurkah Warriors in a semi-final, with a spot in the final on the line.

Meanwhile, Echuca Lawn will play Velvet Tigers in the elimination final, with the winner playing the loser of the semi-final.

In the GM2 mixed competition, Shepparton Lawn Demons downed Cobram Crocs by seven games, while Numurkah Raiders beat Stanhope by 18 games.

There was only one match in the GM2 Open competition this round, with Kialla Park having a bye and Cobram Cobras downing Dhurringile by forfeit.

The one game that was played was a dominant 58-75 win to Avenel over Shepparton Lawn Pelicans.

This win had Avenel leapfrog the Pelicans into top spot with an exciting rematch this weekend in the semi-final.

The GM3 East competition was full of one-sided affairs, with Kyabram Redbacks defeating Dhurringile by 24 games, Tatura Tornados smashing Mooroopna-Stanhope by 65 games and Numurkah Penguins downing Nathalia.

In the GM3 West, Tatura beat Tongala and Kyabram defeated Nathalia.

Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association has confirmed elimination and qualifying finals — the games set to be played at courts in Tatura, Cobram and Sheppparton.

Qualifying and elimination finals will go down on Saturday, March 5, with preliminary finals then scheduled for Sunday at Numurkah and Nathalia lawn tennis clubs.

Cobram Lawn Tennis Club will host the highly-anticipated GM1 finals, with Rich River Rebels and Numurkah Warriors to meet in the qualifying final, while Echuca and Velvet Tigers will fight it out to keep their season alive in the elimination decider.

Cobram Cobras and Kialla Park are set for a GM2 Open elimination showdown, with a GM4 elimination between Cobram Crickets and Tongala rounding out Cobram Lawn’s matches.

Shepparton Lawn will host both GM2 Mixed finals, with Shepparton Demons and Stanhope to meet in the elimination duel, while Shepparton Blues and Numurkah Raiders meet in the qualifying decider.

Avenel and Shepparton Pelicans meet in the GM2 Open qualifier, with Kialla Park Blue and Dhurringile going head-to-head in the GM4 qualifying final.

Meanwhile, Tatura Lawn will play host to GM3 East and West action.