Tennis
31 March, 2026
Wimmera juniors star at state team championships
The Wimmera regional team had an outstanding weekend at the 2026 Victorian State Team Championships, with two teams taking out their respective sections.
Competing on the local turf at Horsham Lawn Tennis Club, the Junior Open boys team of Harry Allan and Eli Bailey took out Section 2, while Des Coffey and Denley Tyler won the under-12 boys Section 2 division.
The team of Allan and Bailey dominated their pool games, dropping no sets as they prevailed in all three ties.
In the final against the team from Eastern Region Tennis, Harry Allan won his singles set 8-2, Eli Bailey won his 8-4, before the pair combined to win the doubles 6-1.
Speaking after the win, Allan was very pleased to match up and defeat some of the metropolitan teams, admitting they felt confident of the win after a strong opening day.
“It feels really good to be able to match up with the Melbourne metro kids, and know we’re just as strong as some of them,” Allan said.
“We didn’t want to look too far ahead, but after we didn’t lose a set on the first day, we thought we were in a pretty good position.
“So we just tried to keep it going, managed to keep the ball rolling and finished how we started.”
“Having played against each other throughout the Central Wimmera Tennis Association season, Allan admits it was a welcome change to partner with Bailey for the championships.
“It was really good because we played each other about four times during the past couple of weeks,” Allan said.
“To be able to finally have his gameplay on my side of the net, it’s much better to have than be against.”
In the under-12 boys, Des Coffey and Denley Tyler won their opening two rounds, before having a crucial two sets to one victory against the North Eastern Junior Tennis Association.
In their fourth and final game against East Gippsland, the pair entered the doubles match tied 1-1 and ultimately prevailed 6-2 to win and secure the section title.
The Junior Open Girls Section 2 team of Sienna Wood and Violet McGennisken won two out of their three round ties to proceed to the grand final, where they were defeated by East Gippsland.
Also making the grand final was the under-14 boys Section 2 team of Yassasri Sumanapala and Archer Reading, who lost to the Central Highlands team.
The Junior Open Girls Section 1 team of Adele Joseph and Ella Thompson finished sixth in a competitive nine-team competition.
The Junior Open Boys Section 2 team of Frazer Shurdington and August Koch finished third.
The under-14 girls Section 1 team of Sienna Nitschke and Lydi Boyd won three of their group matches to finish third.
The under-12 girls Section 2 team of Maya Smith, Maggie Kelm and Olivia Robertson finished fourth.
