Lake Grace retain Great Southern Districts tennis title after season that was ‘good for the body and the mind’

Busy women with full lives are still finding time to make three-hour round trips for midweek tennis pennants, saying the social experience is as important as the competitive one. The Great Southern Districts Midweek Pennants takes place on a Wednesday and this season was contested by clubs spanning from Katanning to Lake Grace and surrounding areas. The morning matches are always followed by a hearty lunch, which is as crucial as the serving and volleying, according to Lake Grace captain Tameka Roukens. “Ladies midweek tennis is important as it’s a social outing that’s good for the body and the mind,” she said after helping her team take back-to-back titles. “Wednesdays are more than just tennis, they are about friendships, teamwork and, of course, a well-earned post-match lunch.” The competition is played from October through to March with a break in January. Katanning captain Jenny O’Halloran, who farms in Kojonup, said the pennants were a great chance for the women to have a fun day out with a competitive edge. “It’s lovely meeting other country women who are all doing similar things,” she said. “Most are farmers’ wives, but we also have young mums and ladies who work part-time. “What’s great is that when I started playing in the competition 10 years ago, we were scratching around for players. “This season our numbers have increased and we were able to field two teams.” Lake Grace took the title with 6-3 grand final victory over Kukerin. Their opponents along the way included Katanning, Dumbleyung and Tarin Rock. Katanning and Kukerin both fielded two teams. The triumph was a fitting end to a season in which Lake Grace’s only defeat came in the earlier rounds to Kukerin. They won the final by six sets and 64 games to three sets and 53 games.