The weather was on again, off again on Wednesday August 30, but the Loton Park Men’s Doubles Team were nothing but on as they defeated South Perth and claimed victory in the Tennis First A-grade Wednesday night winter comp. After defeating East Fremantle in the semifinals, the men took on top ranked South Perth at South Perth Tennis Club in Como, winning 3-2.
While they finished on top of the ladder, the men’s squad got off to a slow start in the comp. As men’s #2 Troy Hancock explained, ‘The season started off very slowly with us losing our first three matches. We played some pretty strong teams in those three, but we didn’t get thrashed, which is the main thing. So, we hung in there.’
Before long things turned around for the men from Loton Park and they worked their way from 5th to 2nd in the competition, winning 8 straight matches, including the grand final, to close the comp.
Captain Geoff Younger (#1) and Troy Hancock (#2) were also undefeated as a pair for the entire competition, though Geoff said that it was the stellar performance of #3 Pierre Murat and #4 Shaun Mays that were critical to Loton Park’s upset of South Perth.
‘I am really pleased we did that well. It’s the first time as a team we have played this comp. So, the fact we gelled together so quickly and so well is really something,’ Geoff told OUTinPerth.
The Loton Park men also gave credit to the ‘half a dozen supporters all rugged up sitting around drinking copious amounts of red wine.’ A brilliant effort given the stormy weather… and the tennis wasn’t half bad either.
