Rob Jackson
Sydney University scored a sweet string of finals victories in the Head Badge Men’s Spring Doubles and Unisex Singles and Doubles MGCCA championships completed on Saturday.
With rainstorms abiding in the early afternoon, St Paul’s College Rawson Cup hero Billy Quist teamed with local Stanmore junior Chris Peters to record a comprehensive straight sets triumph over Chatswood (2) in the top grade of the Men’s Doubles section.
Playing away again on the Chatswood synthetic, Quist and Peters avenged a two sets to one final round loss to the competition minor premiers just two weeks previously to claim the title.
In the afternoon’s second session, the lush Manning lawns provided the venue for a daily double of finals success.
On Courts 1 and 2, Sydney University (1) overpowered Sydney University (2) in a see-sawing three-sets-to-one thriller in the premier grade of the Unisex Singles and Doubles section.
After a comfortable 6-2 first set doubles triumph, Des Ng fell victim to an in-form Warwick Lynch by just one service break in the opening singles.
But the match was sealed early in the return doubles, Steve Sammut having held firm in the third rubber to defeat fellow former- Fairfieldian Cesar Flores 6-2 to claim an historic local derby crown for the University.
On adjacent courts in four strong sets of tennis Sasha Uher and Isobel Crealy from Sydney University (8) won the premiership in Grade 4 of the Unisex Singles and Doubles competition, convincingly beating the gents from Killara.
University’s sizeable contingent in the Spring Badge sections also saw three teams reach the semi-final stage in Grade 2 of the Unisex competition.
After the sudden-death play-offs, it was Damian Sheehan’s Sydney University (7) team pairing of Tiho Matulj and Simon Spence, who advanced, with University ultimately going down three sets to one in Saturday’s final to a red-hot Strathfield side at Strathfield.
