Sport
8 March, 2026
Association enters danger zone amid fears another club could fold
THE INGLEWOOD and District Lawn Tennis Association competition is in danger of collapse.
THE INGLEWOOD and District Lawn Tennis Association competition is in danger of collapse.
Association secretary Susie Lockhart said she was “not overly confident at all” that the competition would be able to continue next season.
The association’s AGM in May would decide its fate, with one of the four existing clubs, Powlett, appearing unlikely to field a team in 2026-2027.
Inglewood-based Powlett struggled in the season just finished, with the courts at Inglewood not being used after Christmas and the team playing all its matches away from home.
Lockhart said Powlett had many good tennis players but the club lacked the depth to be truly competitive.
The association grand final was played last Saturday, with the two Wedderburn-based clubs, Wedderburn Junction and Fentons Creek, competing for the premiership.
Korong Vale, the other club in the competition, had a solid season and is well supported locally.
The possible demise of Powlett would leave the Inglewood association with few options for the future, given that the clubs are keen to play on grass rather than hard courts.
Lockhart said a three-team league was unsustainable.
The Marong and District Association had put out feelers but its tennis is played on hard courts.
One possibility would be to seek to join the seven-club Loddon Valley competition, which uses a mix of grass and hard courts.
Another would be to play a season only at Wedderburn between the two local clubs.
The North Central competition might seem a perfect fit, given that Wedderburn’s football, netball and hockey clubs play in that league but Lockhart said the amount of travel required might prove too daunting.
The Inglewood association brought forward its matches to begin at 10am this season in a bid to attract more players, a move Lockhart said had been a success.
But if Powlett were unable to continue, the last all-grass competition in the southern Loddon would likely be no more.
Serpentine switched from Inglewoode to the Loddon Valley competition four years ago while Inglewood’s second team Eagles folded early in the 2024-2025 season.
- GARY WALSH