12 November 2018 | Tennis West

Three West Australian finalists have been named across 15 award categories to be presented at the 2018 Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards to be held on Monday 26 November at Crown Palladium, Melbourne. These awards recognise the outstanding contribution of individuals and the wider tennis community.

 

Among the finalists in the Australian Tennis Awards are:

• John Thorpe (Dalkeith TC) – Coaching Excellence, Development
• Tristan Schoolkate (Dalkeith TC) – Male Junior Athlete of the Year
• Nedlands AMT & Junior Classic (Nedlands TC) – Most Outstanding Australian Ranking (AR) Tournament

 

In the Coaching Excellence: Development category, John Thorpe, Head Coach at Dalkeith Tennis Club is one of three finalists. Thorpe runs a sports-science driven program based on developing technical, physical, tactical and psychological excellence.

 

In the award period, Thorpe’s coaching pupils have had some notable achievements, with Zach Viiala winning the National 12/under Clay Court Championship in October 2017. Viiala also represented Australia at the Longines World 12/under event, and was a member of the Tennis Australia European Tour based in Germany in July. Another of Thorpe’s pupils, Marko Mrdak, improved his ranking to become the Number 1 ranked Western Australian for 2006 Birth Year, and Liam McDowell represented Western Australia in the Super 10’s National Finals at this year’s Australian Open.

 

In a coup for Dalkeith Tennis Club, star State League recruit, Tristan Schoolkate has also been named a finalist at the Australian Tennis Awards, in the Male Junior Athlete of the Year Category.

 

Schoolkate has had a bumper year on the ITF Junior Circuit, winning 8 titles in both singles and doubles. These results have seen him rise to the Top 100 of the International Tennis Federation World Junior Rankings.

 

Schoolkate’s impressive results earned him a place on the Australian Representative Tour to the B2 ITF in Fiji, where he was a singles finalist against world class competition.  He was also chosen to practice with the best players in the world at the 2018 Mastercard Hopman Cup and played at the 2018 Australian Open Juniors. Since April, Schoolkate’s record at the ITF’s is an impressive 45-5.

 

Nedlands Tennis Club rounded out the WA finalists, with the Nedlands AMT & Junior Classic Tournament named among 2 other finalists in the Most Outstanding Australian Ranking (AR) Tournament category.

 

In its inaugural year, the Nedlands AMT & Junior Classic had 250 entries with 323 matches over 4 days. The tournament has been recognised for focussing on the key elements of court quality, timeliness, off-court activities, members’ support and financial prudence. This ensured that the event was enjoyable for players and spectators, and achieved positive outcomes for the club and its stakeholders.

 

Throughout the tournament, the courts were prepared to the highest possible standard, and there was a variety of off-court activities available to keep players and spectators entertained between matches.  The tournament also brought out the best in the club’s members, with many volunteering to help throughout the event. Many of the club members assisted in the canteen, or served as court monitors for the 10s and 12s events, thereby alleviating the workload of officials.

 

WA has a good track record at the Newcombe Medal Australian Tennis Awards, with 5 winners over the last 3 years.

 

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the event is a great opportunity to reflect on and celebrate another positive year in the sport of tennis.

 

“The Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards is a fantastic occasion for us to get together and honour the contribution of our tennis stars, both on and off the court,” Tiley said.

 

“It is a time for us to recognise the excellent achievements of our elite athletes, but also to celebrate the hard work and dedication that occurs behind the scenes from our coaches, clubs, schools, volunteers and communities over the past 12 months.”

 

“I’m excited to be able to share the stories of our local heroes, and to call out the effort and professionalism of everyone who has helped to ignite the country’s passion for tennis.”

 

Following on from their successful seasons on the court and impressive sportsmanship off it, the talented quartet of Dylan Alcott, Ashleigh Barty, Alex de Minaur and John Millman have been nominated for the 2018 Newcombe Medal.

 

The Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday 26 November at Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

 

Please see below for a full list of finalists for the 2018 Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards:

 

Coaching Excellence Club

Finalists: Tony Blom (West Hobart, Tas), Adon Kronk (Mooloolaba, Qld), Domenic Marafiote (Kensington Gardens, SA),

 

Coaching Excellence Development

Finalists: Stephen Thompson (Hornsby, NSW), John Thorpe (Perth, WA), Sam Wall (Coromandel Valley, SA).

 

Coaching Excellence Performance

Finalists: Darren Cahill (SA), Pat Cash (Vic), Craig Tyzzer (Vic), Francois Vogelsberger (Vic)

 

Excellence in Officiating

Finalists: Simon Cannavan (Qld), Ricardo Macedo (NSW), Robyn Tucker (SA)

 

Female Junior Athlete of the Year

Finalists: Destanee Aiava (Berwick, Vic), Anastasia Berezov (Sydney, NSW), Annerly Poulos (Canberra, ACT)

 

Male Junior Athlete of the Year

Finalists: Chen Dong (Brisbane, Qld), Rinky Hijikata (Sydney, NSW), Tristan Schoolkate (Perth, WA)

 

Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability

Finalists: Archie Graham (Ipswich, Qld), Carla Lenarduzzi (Melbourne, Vic), Kelly Wren (Sydney, NSW)

 

Most Outstanding Australian Ranking Tournament

Finalists: 2018 Priceline NSW Country Closed Championships (Forster, NSW), AGL Loy Yang Traralgon International (Traralgon, Vic), Gordon Davies Real Estate 2018 Nedlands AMT & Junior Classic (Nedlands, WA)

 

Most Outstanding Club

Finalists: Henley South Tennis Club (SA), Mooloolaba Tennis Club (Qld), West Lalor Tennis Club (Vic)

 

Most Outstanding Professional Tournament

Finalists: Apis Canberra International (Canberra, ACT), Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International (Toowoomba, Qld), Latrobe City Traralgon Challenger (Traralgon, Vic)

 

Most Outstanding School

Finalists: Cobdogla Primary School (Cobdogla, SA), Casuarina Street Primary School (Katherine, NT), Devonport Primary School (Devonport, Tas)

 

Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Senior

Finalists: Peter Froelich (Qld), Dennis Haupt (SA), Alan Walsh (NSW)

 

Volunteer Achievement Award

Finalists: Andrew MacNeill (Lalor, Vic), Donald Smith (Oakleigh, Vic), John Pick (Renmark, SA)