Ten teams beat the weekend’s heat for a great day of tennis in the St. Marys Social Tennis Club’s annual ‘Rusty Spring’ mixed doubles tournament on Saturday, June 30.
A number of new teams and players joined in the fun; alas, the coveted trophy was won by a familiar team: Hithesh Podanolana and Ankit Tiwari, of London. The pair emerged victorious after a fierce 6-4 challenge from Lisa Westelaken and son Giuseppe Passarelli, of St. Marys, via Italy.
Another mother-son duo, Jennifer Spencer and Chris Hayes, were Podanolana and Tiwari’s semi-final match-up, while Westelaken and Passarelli had to beat the formidable duo of Dave Pullen and John Sipos twice in order to win the consolation finals.
Aside from being a great day of tennis and camaraderie, the tournament is a fundraiser for court improvements. About $300 was raised this year, which will be put into reserve for future repairs and maintenance.
The St. Marys Social Tennis Club would like to thank everyone who played, as well as McDonald’s Independent Grocer, Dunny’s Source for Sports, and Of Courts of London for their ongoing support of tennis in St. Marys.
All tennis players — including those who want to become tennis players — are invited to come out on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m., for free drop-in mixed doubles. Meet other players or learn the game by playing.
A group also meets on Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. — all are welcome!
‘Demo night’ July 24
Coming up on Tuesday, July 24 is the annual Of Courts ‘Demo night’. Starting at 7 p.m., come try out new tennis and pickleball racquets, and receive tips to improve your game from the knowledgeable Of Courts staff.
There will be free swag, plus a radar gun to test your serve speed. All are welcome.
