By Dongyun Kwon
This year will be remembered as a special year for Yarra Glen Tennis Club (YGTC), adding a significant milestone in its nearly 130 years history.
The club successfully hosted the Pennant Picnic event, received two awards (Community Engagement Award and Pennant Player of the Year) and most importantly won the pennant flag for Grade 11.
It’s the second time winning the pennant flag and first time winning the men’s pennant flag in YGTC’s history.
YGTC ladies’ team won the pennant in 2000, which was the only time the club won the title prior to this year.
YGTC committee member and head coach Jarron Morris, who also played for Grade 11 pennant league, said it was an “incredible season”.
“We weren’t expected to win the pennant because we finished second on our section ladder and placed fifth seed overall,” he said.
“There were four teams that were expected to perform better than us in the grade finals. Most matches we played came down the last rubber of the day, so we were very fortunate to have won it.
“It was just an accumulation of a lot of things all doing right at the same time.”
Tennis Victoria Pennant Home and Away League for Grade 11 had four sections, and each section consisted of eight teams.
After 14 weeks of regular season, the top four teams of each section played a play-off bracket to get qualified to grade finals.
Two out of four teams from each section who won the play-off bracket, which in total eight teams from four sections, competed to decide the flag winner through grade finals.
YGTC Men’s Grade 11 team started the season with the loss in the first round.
“It was a shocking moment for us because we had a pretty good team in place and we were very optimistic starting the season,” Morris said.
“With that first round loss, it shocked us and reignited our season again, and as it turned out, we didn’t lose another match again for the rest of the season. There were a few draws and a lot of close matches.
“It wasn’t as if we were particularly dominant throughout the season, but every time that we were challenged, we’d somehow find a way to win.”
The playing coach said the impetus of winning the flag as a small club came from a level of team cohesiveness.
“Our team prioritised a lot in training together during the week as well as celebrating small wins. The most important part of our week was going to the pub on a Saturday night,” Morris said.
“We’d socialise whether we won or lost on any given week.
“It was just the building of social connection and social cohesiveness in the team that drove a lot of support. We all supported each other and we’ve all known each other for a long time which was the real advantage that we had over other clubs.”
The playing coach gave one of the young players credit for the win who saved the team at the important moments during the final series.
“Alex Maffescioni is only 17 years old but he won pretty much three matches off his racket,” Morris said.
“He played the last match of the day [at the grade final] and with all the pressure on him including the final, he won the match for us. He somehow managed to win two points to secure us.”
“So much of the pressure was on his racket and he did incredibly well, not only in the pennant final but in the pennant semi final as well. Two weeks in a row, he executed the win, which was fantastic for someone in his age.”
Mount Lilydale Mercy College student Alex Maffescioni got into tennis when he was 10.
He joined the YGTC at the age of 12 and started playing competitively the next year.
Maffescioni said he wanted to win the flag for the community who supported his team.
“It was pretty nerve racking but I knew there was no chance I was going to lose,” he said.
“I had to win against the same guy in the grade final who I played at the Pennant Picnic.
“I won three close matches to bring the team a win.”
