Henley South (City/Hills) and Two Wells (Rural) have been announced as South Australia’s Most Outstanding Tennis Clubs in 2018.
The awards were presented at the Tennis SA Awards Dinner, held at the Hilton Adelaide, in front of 265 attendees.
This award caps off a fantastic year for Henley South Tennis Club that recently ended with four summer season senior premierships. The club is very proud of its welcoming and family friendly club culture, as well as its variety of programs to suit the many needs of its members.
Female participation is a strong focus for the club, as is the building of a strong sense of community and loyalty amongst their members.
“We are honoured and absolutely thrilled to be recognised as Tennis SA’s Most Outstanding Tennis Club for the City and Hills,” said Henley South Tennis Club President Liz Campbell.
“This award is testament to the hard work and commitment of our committee members and coaching team, along with our loyal members who we could not do this without.”
For Two Wells, this award sees them take home back-to-back Most Outstanding Tennis Club titles.
A club that has gone from strength-to-strength, Two Wells has increased their membership numbers, grown financially and has shown positive development in all areas of their club.
“It is such an honour for us to win this award for the second time. We’ve come such a long way over the last few years and thanks to our dedicated committee we are certainly heading in the right direction,” said Two Wells Tennis Club President Trudy van Osch.
“Winning last year has seen our junior numbers grow to the point of requiring new programs to meet the needs of our members, along with additional coaching resources.”
East Torrens Kensington Gardens, Somerton Park and West Lakes were contenders for the City/Hills accolade, whilst Keith and Renmark Tintra Lawn were finalists in the rural category.
The Tennis SA Awards Dinner celebrates players, coaches, clubs, communities, volunteers and officials for their service to the sport in South Australia.
A highlight for the evening was the presentation of life membership to Neville Messenger. Held in the highest regard by the SA tennis community, Mr Messenger has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to tennis over the past four decades, including being a Tennis SA board member since 2000, as well has his leadership of the Western Districts Tennis Association as a committee member, Secretary and President.
Alex Bolt (Murray Bridge, SA) and Amber Marshall (Gulfview Heights, SA) were awarded South Australia’s most prestigious player awards, the Burr and Boyce Awards.
Marshall (Gulfview Heights, SA) also took home the Gwen Thiele Memorial Trophy for most outstanding 18-and-under female, while David Abfalter (North Adelaide, SA) won the Don Turnbull Memorial Trophy for most outstanding 18-and-under male.
The City of Playford won a new award category for Most Outstanding Council or Government Department, while Sam von Einem (Glengowrie, SA) was awarded the Most Outstanding Player with a Disability for the second year in a row.
Sam Wall (Aberfoyle Park, SA) took the Coaching Excellence – Talent Development award for the third year in a row, Domenic Marafiote (Nailsworth, SA) won the Coaching Excellence – Club award and Cobdogla Primary School (Cobdogla, SA) was named the Most Outstanding School.
“The Tennis SA Awards Dinner was a fitting celebration of the outstanding achievements of our players, coaches, clubs, communities, volunteers and officials,” said Tennis SA CEO Steven Baldas.
“A heartfelt congratulations to all of our award winners and finalists for their tireless work and efforts in our sport.”
The full list of award winners is as follows:
Boyce Award (best and fairest female tennis player)
Amber Marshall (Gulfview Heights, SA)
Burr Award (best and fairest male tennis player)
Alex Bolt (Murray Bridge, SA)
Gwen Thiele Memorial Trophy (best female 18-and-under tennis player)
Amber Marshall (Gulfview Heights, SA)
Don Turnbull Memorial Trophy (best male 18-and-under tennis player)
David Abfalter (North Adelaide, SA)
Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability
Sam von Einem (Glengowrie, SA)
Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Senior
Dennis Haupt (Bellevue Heights, SA)
Excellence in Officiating
Robyn Tucker (Hallett Cove, SA)
Most Outstanding Council or Government Department
City of Playford
Most Outstanding Tennis Club – City/Hills
Henley South Tennis Club
Most Outstanding Tennis Club – Rural
Two Wells Tennis Club
Volunteer Achievement Award – City/Hills
Jo Overbeek (Peterhead, SA)
Volunteer Achievement Award – Rural
John Pick (Renmark, SA)
Coaching Excellence – Talent Development
Sam Wall (Aberfoyle Park, SA)
Coaching Excellence – Club
Domenic Marafiote (Nailsworth, SA)
Most Outstanding School
Cobdogla Primary School (Cobdogla, SA)
Most Outstanding Inclusion Program
Tennis for Blind and Visually Impaired (Somerton Park Tennis Club)
Most Outstanding Event
City of Playford Tennis International (Elizabeth East, SA)
Most Outstanding Australian Ranking Tournament
State Foundation Cup (Berri, SA)
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