SPORT
with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
sport@oclife.com.au
Waratahs give CYMS a reality check in dominant derby win Orange CYMS suffered another heavy defeat in the Western Premier League after Waratahs beat them 6-1 in the local derby on Saturday evening. It’s an almost identical loss to that in Round Five, leaving the same bitter taste in the mouths of the CYMS players.
Terry and Carl’s doubles triumph
AT COUNTRY TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Orange tennis doubles team, Terry Kastrounis and Carl Buchtmann, claimed a remarkable hard-fought doubles victory at the 2022 Priceline NSW Country Championships. Playing three matches on the one day to secure a spot in the final against players from across the state in Forster, the pair went toe-to-toe with the very finest in NSW before taking out the top prize. Their path to silverware glory on the traditional grass courts, couldn’t have been more challenging, yet rewarding, according to Terry Kastrounis. “Carl and I had early exits from other divisions we entered in these championships, but those elimination setbacks fuelled us to succeed in the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 competition,” Terry said. “With wet weather cancellations and some gruelling matches on the path to the Grand Final, we developed more character and pushed ourselves to go all the way.” Terry and Carl were one of 18 teams in the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 division for regional players outside of the Greater Sydney area. The duo enjoyed a bye in Round 1, which gave them plenty of time to brush up on their skills and in certain areas. But it was still a mountain they had to climb,
as wet weather cancellations caused program issues along the way. This included overcoming adversity in the second round after dropping the first set 7-6 in a close tie-break. With their experience and nerve, however, the two came back to win the second set 6-3 and then claim a 10-4 victory in the super tie-break, booking their spot in the Quarter-Finals. The heavy rain following their first match, however, meant that the pair had to play three consecutive matches on Monday to reach the final. “Carl and I played super tie-breaks in all matches. In the professional grand slams, the doubles format requires a full third set when the score is level after the first two sets. But we didn’t play a full thirdset in this recent NSW Championship, as we instead played a super 10-point tie-break,” Terry explained. There were similar scenes in the quarter-finals, as Terry and Carl lost the opening set 4-6. But again, rallied to win the second set 6-3, once more sending the match into a super 10-point tie-break. The Orange team finally clinched the match, winning 11-9 in a nail-biting third set, successfully overcoming a draining one-hour and 25-minute contest. During their semi-final encounter, Terry and Carl got off to a flying start after an
impressive 6-3 win in the first set. But the Orange pair couldn’t finish off the match in the second set, losing 1-6. On the brink of elimination, Terry and Carl dug deep and fought back to win the final set 10-3 and punch their Grand Final ticket. Just a few hours later, Terry and Carl held aloft the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 Premier’s plate. The Orange pair secured victory 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 — their fourth victory in a super 10-point tie-break. “After winning the semi-final, we hardly had any time to rest before the Grand Final later in the evening,” Terry said. “We had a 10-minute warm-up before our match, and then somehow, we were holding the title a few hours later. It was definitely a surreal experience.” Having an understanding of each other was one of the key factors that helped Terry and Carl play some mesmerising tennis in the doubles competition. “Carl and I have played soccer with Saints FC for several years, so we have that understanding when we play doubles in tennis. “I think because we even play soccer in the backline, this is a bonus that helps our tennis chemistry. Soccer also helps with positioning, and that’s helped us tremendously in tennis when it comes to serving or hitting the ball in the right place,” Terry concluded.
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In the CYMS camp, the players and coaching staff seemed more optimistic after two consecutive victories before facing a Tahs side who were still licking their wounds from a 3-2 loss to Orana in the previous round. But given CYMS’ wins came against lower-placed opponents, the green-and-gold received a reality check once they faced off with a topfour side. CYMS started well, playing high-pressing offence and keeping it tight in the backline. But, after 15 minutes, Waratahs’ experience paid off and they scored the opener off a CYMS mistake in the middle of the pitch. This involved Adam Scimone dispossessing t a CYMS midfielder which ultimately set up Guy Burgess to tuck the shot away. Things only got worse for the green-andgold when a poor clearance just minutes later, presented Burgess again with a goal-scoring opportunity inside the 18-yard box. A foul on the Waratahs striker gave the referee no option but to award a penalty for the hosts. Craig Sugden coolly dispatched the spot-kick into the bottom-left corner to double the Sky Blues’ lead. Will Bennett however quickly halved the deficit for CYMS in the 22nd minute after pouncing on some shaky Waratahs defence and scoring a tap-in from close range. Just as the green-and-gold were on the cusp of keeping the scoreline 2-1 at halftime, though, Sugden capitalised off a goal-keeping error to score his brace and give his side some breathing space going into the break. After the interval, the defensive nightmares only continued for the young CYMS side. An unmarked Lachie Peet put the Tahs 4-1 up in the 54th minute after a delicate cross picked out the attacker who calmly slotted it past the keeper. With CYMS camped inside their half, it only took another 11 minutes for Waratahs to find their fifth goal. A fine through-ball from a Tahs playmaker found the feet of Sugden who rifled a low shot into the bottom corner to seal his hat-trick. Tahs’ sixth goal came in the 72nd minute through a Hugh Thornhill penalty to cap off another stellar attacking performance. This much-needed victory propels Waratahs into second spot with 29 points, the same number of points as competition leaders, Panorama FC. As for Orange CYMS, they slip back into ninth spot before they travel to Dubbo this weekend to take on Dubbo Bulls FC.