KERANG Lawn Tennis Club celebrated its Easter centenary tournament in fine style.
It smashed its way through 750 matches across the long weekend, culminating in the premier events.
The men’s open title went to Jarrod Joyce, whose family from Lal Lal, near Ballarat, has been competing in the tournament for years.
“The finals pulled a really good crowd, but I reckon this is the last time we’ll see Jarrod for a while,” said club president Ziggy Taylor.
“He is on his way to a college in the US (he has been drafted by Memphis University) where he will be for the next few years. We wish him every success.
“The women’s open final went to Danijela Mijic, who was in Kerang last year as a teacher for Kerang Christian College but had returned to Melbourne this year.
“While Danijela was here she played in the local competition and then came back up this Easter to be part of the tournament – and won the lot.”
The centenary event was a competition sellout, with the maximum number of 420 entries filled weeks before the competition began.
Taylor said the Easter tournament has “become a generational event” because it is such a family-focused weekend.
“This is 100 per cent a family long weekend where some tennis also happens to be played – and some of those playing stretch into their 70s and possibly beyond,” he said.
“We have 18 lawn courts, which is why numbers have to be capped to fit everything in across the four days. I couldn’t even play this year as we had a bit too much on to fit in a few sets.”
The tournament was also the successful fundraising boost the club was hoping – with the Log Cabin the hub of activity all Easter.
“Everything, the whole weekend, went really well and everyone seemed to have a great time – the feedback we have had has been fantastic,” Taylor said.
“The traditional president’s day was another highlight and now it’s time to start planning for 2026.”
