Greenacres (City/Hills) and Crystal Brook (Rural) have been announced as South Australia’s Most Outstanding Tennis Clubs in 2020.
The awards were presented virtually from Memorial Drive on Friday night.
With an inclusive environment and hardworking committee, Greenacres Tennis Club has come back from the brink with steady growth in recent years. The collaborative effort between coach and club has seen the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots program grow considerably. The club prides itself on being inclusive and welcoming to all.
“We are truly honoured to have won with the Most Outstanding Club award for the City and Hills,” said Greenacres Tennis Club President Darren Lambden.
“We have put an enormous amount of work in to rebuilding the club over the past few years and this award is a testament to our wonderful committee and club members.”
For Crystal Brook, this award is a wonderful achievement in the club’s 50th anniversary year.
In recent years, the club’s primary focus has been to expand junior tennis in the community. The club has reaped the rewards following the introduction of ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Community Play with a steady growth in junior members. The club prides itself on instilling the values of respect, responsibility and sportsmanship in all members, along with building confidence and creating lasting friendships.
“We are so thrilled to have won the rural award for Most Outstanding Tennis Club,” said Crystal Brook Tennis Club President Sam Inglis.
“Our focus on juniors is really starting to pay off and this award is a credit to our hard-working and dedicated committee.”
Broadview, Denman, Peake Gardens Riverside and Somerton Park were contenders for the City/Hills accolade, whilst Minlaton, Normanville, Renmark Tintra Lawn and Two Wells were finalists in the rural category.
The Tennis SA Awards Night celebrates players, coaches, clubs, communities, volunteers and officials for their service to the sport in South Australia.
Alex Bolt and Amber Marshall were awarded South Australia’s most prestigious player awards, the Burr and Boyce Awards.
Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz took home the Gwen Thiele Memorial Trophy for most outstanding 18-and-under female, while Edward Winter won the Don Turnbull Memorial Trophy for most outstanding 18-and-under male.
The City of Charles Sturt won the award for Most Outstanding Council or Government Department, while International Blind Tennis Championships gold medallist Ricky Segura was announced as the Most Outstanding Player with a Disability.
Sam Wall took home the Coaching Excellence – Talent Development award for the fifth time, while Theadora Kiparoglou andDomenic Marafiote were the joint winners of the Coaching Excellence – Club award. South Australian School for Vision Impaired was named the Most Outstanding School.
“The Tennis SA Awards Night was a great celebration of the outstanding achievements of our players, coaches, clubs, communities, volunteers and officials over the past 12 months,” said Tennis SA CEO Debbie Sterrey.
“Especially in these difficult times, it was wonderful to celebrate and recognise our tennis communities around the state.
“Our congratulations to all of the award winners and finalists for their hard work and dedication to our sport.”
The full list of award winners is as follows:
Boyce Award (best and fairest female tennis player)
Amber Marshall
Burr Award (best and fairest male tennis player)
Alex Bolt
Gwen Thiele Memorial Trophy (best female 18-and-under tennis player)
Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz
Don Turnbull Memorial Trophy (best male 18-and-under tennis player)
Edward Winter
State League Players of the Year
Men
Li Tu (East Adelaide Payneham/Kingswood Tennis Clubs)
Women
Marie Bonnin (Glenlea Tennis Club)
Jasmine Adams (Kingswood Tennis Club)
State League Fair Play Awards
Men
Andrew Tavella (Trinity Gardens Tennis Club)
Women
Marie Bonnin (Glenlea Tennis Club)
Metro League Strike Rate Awards
Men
Division 1: Luke Sebastiani (Collingrove Tennis Club)
Division 2: Rory Owen (Peake Gardens Riverside Tennis Club)
Division 3: Adrian Johnston (Seaside Tennis Club)
Division 4: Taiki Huiura (Memorial Drive Tennis Club)
Women
Division 1: Michelle Leyden (Memorial Drive Tennis Club)
Division 2: Kate Brzostek (Collingrove Tennis Club)
Most Outstanding Event
City of Playford Tennis International
Most Outstanding Australian Ranking Tournament
State Foundation Cup
Most Outstanding Competition – Rural
Riverland Lawn Tennis Association Competition
Most Outstanding Competition – City/Hills
Glenelg Western Tennis Competition
Most Outstanding Council or Government Department
City of Charles Sturt
Most Outstanding Inclusion Program
Somerton Park Tennis Club (South Australian Blind Tennis Program)
Most Outstanding School
South Australian School for Vision Impaired
Excellence in Officiating
Dana Zahr
Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability
Ricky Segura
Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Senior
Roger Davey
Coaching Excellence – Club
Domenic Marafiote and Theadora Kiparoglou
Coaching Excellence – Talent Development
Sam Wall
Volunteer Achievement Award – Rural
Shane Nettle
Volunteer Achievement Award – City/Hills
Anne Morgan
Most Outstanding Tennis Club – Rural
Crystal Brook Tennis Club
Most Outstanding Tennis Club – City/Hills
Greenacres Tennis Club
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