COMPETITORS from NSW, ACT and Queensland converged on Port Stephens for the annual Dave Matthews Memorial Seniors tennis tournament, hosted by the Nelson Bay Tennis Club at the end of last year.

Long-serving tournament director Stephen Taylor embraced the challenge with ease.

“The Dave Matthews tournament is the last seniors tennis event of the calendar year and continues to be a favourite for many players,” he told News Of The Area.

“It ranks as the second largest seniors tournament… having grown from an average of 175 players to 245 over the years.”

Some 219 players participated in the 74 events and 506 matches across three days.

“We attract players from all over the eastern states which has been the case for a number of years as the popularity of the event increases.

“This is attributed to the standard of tennis being played and we are getting stronger and better players entering each year.

“The location is clearly a draw card [and] the social aspects of tennis seniors is a major factor as long-term friendships have been formed.”

Taylor said he always looks for ways to improve and grow the tournament in stature and numbers.

“The key for me as tournament director is to make the event about the players and to give back to them in any way possible to help make the weekend more enjoyable, so they return the following year.

“Some of the initiatives we have introduced are wine tasting and in 2023 we had the United Cup at the Nelson Bay complex.

“We also use Fingal Bay, Shoal Bay, Soldiers Point and Boat Harbour courts to run the tournament and I can’t thank them enough for their continued support.”

Sixty players took part in twelve singles events across various locations on the Friday while 35 players competed in the American doubles.

Players competed in age categories ranging from 30yrs to 70yrs for both Mens and Ladies singles.

A number of the players have represented Australia at the Seniors Tennis level.

“In the past we’ve had players with ATP rankings and being ranked number two in the world for their age group at a Tennis Seniors level.”

“The American doubles is more of a social event where standards and ages are mixed so you get to meet new people”.

The doubles saw 166 players compete across all the venues.

“The standard was extremely high with players competing in the signature Dave Matthews Shield event on the Sunday,” Stephen said.

All conquering duo Pat Staunton and Chris Hatcher were crowned 2024 champions and remained undefeated with local players Bruce Scott and Ryan Palmer finishing third.

Seventeen local players competed in the tournament with various levels of success.

Resident Nelson Bay coach Blake Denison, Club President Rod Stubbs and club member Kevin Gray all won their respective events.

Nelson Bay Tennis Club organises a number of mid-week competitions and social events.

These include Monday and Tuesday night Mens; Wednesday night Mixed Social; new Thursday night Singles; Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Veterans hit-up; plus Saturday afternoon club Social.

For further enquiries contact club coach Blake Denison 0403 634 667.

By Chris KARAS