The Grand Finals of the 2017 Autumn Badge tennis competition were staged across Sydney on Saturday, with Strathfield Sports Club (SSC) having two teams contesting the decider of their division.

Strathfield 3 and Strathfield 6 had both enjoyed strong seasons however they’d go in as underdogs against sides that had home court advantage and topped their league standings.

Strathfield 3 (Men’s 2.2)

That didn’t perturb SSC 3 however, who came up against Killara 5 at their Lawn Tennis Club.

In a match-up that went down to the wire, the combination of Charles Hempel & Seungjun Yi and Sudeep Gurung & Alex Chen each claimed two sets as the tie finished four-sets all.

As such, the result came down to games, with SSC prevailing by virtue of a more consistent overall performance, claiming a 40-games to 30 win.

According to captain Daryl Hart it was a terrific effort against the team who’d proven themselves to be the benchmark all season.

“There were many long games that could have gone either way but fortunately Strathfield held solid at the crucial moments,” said Daryl.

“The opposition had finished minor premiers well clear but our consistency of winning sets convincingly and the lost sets all being very close proved the difference.”

A huge congratulations to everyone on the team who contributed to their success throughout the season.

Aside from those who contested the Grand Final, Daryl Hart, Andrew King, Shaun Max, Seungjun Yi, Rod James, Issac Lean and Club President Robert Bow all played their part in this triumph.

Strathfield 6 (Men’s 3.1)

Unfortunately it was not to be for our Strathfield 6 side, who were edged out by Western Suburbs Lawn Tennis Association (WSLTA) 2 in their decider.

Their opposition had only lost once all season and despite putting in their all SSC 6 fell just short, going down 5 sets to 3 and 43 games to 33.

The combinations of Adrian Izurieta & David Rutherford and Graham & Corey King backed up from their semi-final heroics, being the last four players standing on the team!

They pushed WSLTA all the way – with just three games separating the two teams at the half-way point – though their opposition finished the stronger.

SSC 6 did their teammates and the Club proud with their performance and will no doubt be hoping to go one better next season.

Once again we’d like to thank and congratulate all players involved across the six teams SSC fielded in the 2017 Autumn Badge season.

You represented the Club with distinction and we’ve no doubt a lot of fun was had along the way!