Tomorrow will see all six competitions of the association play their grand finals at Echuca Lawn Tennis Club.
The question on the mind of the tennis community is whether Rich River 1 can continue their dominance of the section and win a fourth straight Dollie Christie Memorial Shield.
Or will a new challenger — Echuca South 1 — topple the best team of recent history in the region.
The two sides have been battling all season for dominance, with just one point separating them on the ladder at the close of competition.
At the close, it was South who had taken the honours, though Rich River 1 would claim the semi-final meeting between the two sides by four games to advance to the grand final.
But the closeness is incredibly telling of what both sides expect for the grand final.
‘‘Whenever both sides go head-to-head, it’s close,’’ Rich River 1 captain Trina Godfrey said.
‘‘You can’t read too much into what happens during the main season as the sides are never at their best, there is more to take away from the finals match.
‘‘When we met each other in the semi-final there was four games the difference. It shows just how well these two sides compare to each other.’’
For Echuca South 1, the battle is to overcome their own history, according to captain Ben Potter.
‘‘We’ve been the bridesmaids a few times now,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve gotten to this stage in the season a few times now and haven’t been able to take that extra step to claim the premiership.
‘‘It is tough to do all the work in the year and see someone else as champions and we will be doing everything we can to be premiers this season.’’
Though Rich River 1 have the record books on their side, Godfrey said it doesn’t create a major sense of confidence.
‘‘We don’t go into the grand final thinking that because we have won before we can easily win again,’’ she said.
‘‘We know that this is going to be an incredibly strong opposition that we come up against on Saturday. We won’t be taking anything lightly, but we will be pushing our hardest to win the premiership again.’’
CTA Grand Finals
Section 1: Rich River 1 v Echuca South 1. Section 2: Elmore 1 v Rochester 3. Junior A: Echuca South 4 v LBU 4. Junior B Campaspe: Echuca South 6 v Rochester 9. Junior B Murray: Echuca Lawn 2 v Rochester 10. Junior C: Echuca Lawn 5 v Echuca Lawn 3.
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