The Bellingen Park Tennis Club has just completed the Singles Championships for 2025.
So successful was the day that there was talk of it becoming part of the international circuit in 2026.
The day kicked off with the under 10’s seeing Jarah Hartley defeating a brave Jack Barney 6-1.
In the under 13’s Kai Hartley took on his brother Xavier in a battle that will be talked about for many years to come. Kai eventually wore down his sibling 6-4 6-0.
In ‘C’ grade Xavier backed up to take on evergreen John Russell in the tightest contest of finals day. In the end John’s experience showed through with a 7-5 victory over a relentless Xavier, who has “future champion” written all over him.
‘B’ grade saw the Barney family represented again with Anna taking on James Axton for a chance to lift some silverware. Both players were coming off strong semi-final wins, which added to the nervous tension building on the court and in the crowd. James came out swinging like Apollo Creed and wrapped it up quickly 6-2 6-0. But something tells me Rocky 11 might be a different story.
‘A’ grade witnessed club stalwart Nick Bertsos wind back the clock and take on past champion Mike Hartley in the main event of the day. What a joy to watch two titans go head-to-head with outstanding ground stokes and finesse matched only by Tongs Turner on the BBQ. In the end Mike collected his 4th singles trophy and a sausage sandwich with the works. 6-0 6-0.
Special thanks to IGA Bellingen and Tie Break Tennis for their continued support.
Future A grade Champions
Tournament Director Moshik Goffer & Anna Barne in total control
A Grades Nick Bertsos