Somerset College was finally set up to host its annual Orange Tennis Circuit on Sunday 24 October. The event had been building to be one of the biggest tournaments of any 10-year old’s calendar, but it eclipsed that when the OTC grew to the biggest of its kind in Australia for 2021.
A total of 74 competitors entered the event, 55 boys and 19 girls, making it the highest number of entries for any OTC in Australia. In anticipation of this event, 25 selfless Somerset students volunteered 10 hours of their time to umpire matches, set-up equipment and help run the BBQ. Without these students, the event would not have been possible.
Students and players began competing at 7.00am, with the temperature already hitting 28 degrees and 220 matches to be played, it was going to be a scorcher of a day. Players battled out their Fast 4 matches, one after another, with little to no rest in between, it really was a battle of the fittest. By 10.00am, a welcomed BBQ and drinks stall was in action, prompting the more than 150 person crowd to rush to the counter for their fix of sausages and Powerades.
The boys match got to the semi-finals by 11.00am and at this stage it was well over 30 degrees. The resilient volunteers held their ground, standing on the courts umpiring the matches regardless of the heat. The boys grand final match concluded around 1.00pm, with an external to Somerset player, Jasper Ten-Bohmer winning the division.
Girls matches kicked off around 12:30pm with temperatures of 33 degrees, it was going to be a tough day for some. Our brave Spartans battled it out in the heat & held strong whilst producing some amazing tennis. Our own Spartan, Stacey Yang, finished up second in the girl’s division after a near one-hour match, making it a great end to the event for Somerset.
With 23 Somerset students competing, 25 volunteers and four staff members, it really was a Spartan event. Even at the conclusion of the event, the amazing volunteers stuck around until near 5.00pm to help pack down the marquee tents, BBQ stall and court equipment.
We cannot thank the below students enough for their help.
Thank you to all the parents, students and volunteers for making this event the highlight of our calendar and also the biggest OTC in Australia! We look forward to offering the event again next year.
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