Springvale North verges on finals berth

By Paul Pickering
SPRINGVALE North Tennis Club is on the verge of securing an improbable finals berth in its first season in the Tennis Victoria Pennant Grade One competition.
The debutants claimed a thrilling one-set victory over second-placed Essendon on Saturday, moving to equal second on the Section One ladder with one round to play.
As a result, Springvale North is now the controller of its own destiny, needing only to defeat Upper Beaconsfield in this weekend’s doubles tie to clinch a finals spot.
It was a dramatic afternoon at Furnew Street on Saturday, with a host of youngsters gathering to cheer their senior clubmates towards victory.
Essendon elected to make Springvale North young gun Trent Cobb face the music in the first rubber of the day.
The 16-year-old left-hander rose to the occasion, dispatching of Essendon’s Brandt Fleming in straight sets (6-4 6-4).
Springvale North coach Stephen Sruk hailed Cobb’s performance as his best of the season. “He played a great match. He served very well, but it was his shots that are normally his weakness – his backhand and his volleying – that stood strong,” Sruk said.
The visitors hit back through Simon Arms, who rallied from behind to defeat Springvale North number two Zoran Josic in three sets (4-6 6-4 6-2).
Both Stephen Fotakis and Anthony DiDomenico split the first two sets in their simultaneous rubbers, so the home side needed to claim just one decider to clinch the tie.
DiDomenico succumbed 6-3 to Essendon’s Curt Garwood, but Fotakis lived up to his big-game reputation in triumphing 6-3 over Corbin Fleming. For Sruk, it was a relief to have his gun recruit back in top form.
“What a difference it makes to have your number one – and probably the best player in our section – back in the team,” he reflected, pointing to Fotakis’ 4-0 singles record this season. “He’s still got knee tendonitis troubles, but he has been a great acquisition to our club and team.”
The evenness of the section means that Springvale North is not safe in the four-team finals bracket, so this Saturday’s clash with an experienced Upper Beaconsfield doubles combination is a must-win encounter.