A fantastic weekend of high quality tennis and socialising was enjoyed by all who attended the inaugural Seniors Tennis Tournament run by the Glen Innes Tennis Club held on the 8th/9th November.
Around 35 players entered the tournament coming from the local district and beyond with people travelling as far as from Armidale, Inverell, Grafton, Port Macquarie, Ballina, Tamworth and Sydney. A number of visitors took the opportunity to shop, sightsee and dine out while at Glen Innes.
The tournament was based on round robin competitions for singles and doubles across a number of age groups. Dont let the name "Seniors" put you off as entries are open to anyone over the age of 30 where an entrant can play against similar aged players or in a combined age group. This resulted in a whole weekend of very entertaining tennis for players and spectators alike.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all players for participating. Winners of each event are as follows:
- Men's 30/40 Singles - Philip Saunders (Armidale)
- Men's 50/60 Singles - Luke Hunter (Glen Innes)
- Combined Ages Mixed Doubles - John Williams (Inverell) and Narelle Follington (Tamworth)
- Men's 30/40 Doubles - Philip Saunders and Brent Reading (Armidale)
- Men's 50/60 Doubles - John Williams and Mark O'Brien (Inverell)
- Combined Ages Ladies Doubles - Pat Bailey (Inverell) and Narelle Follington (Tamworth)
- Combined Ages Men's Doubles - Rod Clarkin (Sydney) and Paul Barnes (Port Macquarie)
- Mixed Doubles - Steve Johnston and Theresa Carseldine (Deepwater)
The fundraising raffle was a huge hit thanks to the generosity of around twenty local businesses who donated lots of fantastic prizes. The club also wishes to thank one of our local club members John Maddern who made a very generous contribution to the prize money. Thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to make this event such a success. With some very positive feedback on the event, planning for next year is already underway to make it even bigger and better.
