Sue Ayres and Ellen Smith were part of the NSW 55s to 65s age group within a team of six at the Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club.

Ayres was named captain of the outfit, which also consisted of ladies from the Central Coast.

Around 1000 competitors took to the 25 all-grass tennis courts during the week-long tournament.  

The competition was split into age groups, not grades.  

There were eight sets played in a match and two matches were played each day.  In some instances, a team may play four sets in a row. On the Wednesday of the competition, play was called off as it was 43 degrees.

However, temperatures topped 17 degrees the following day and play started in cold and misty conditions.  

At the end of the draw,  Ayres and Smith’s NSW  team came in second place.

They played home state Victoria in the semi-final, going on to win by four games in the four sets-all result.  In the grand final on the Friday, the girls played Queensland and came out on top five sets to three.

However, the tense decider was only separated by four games at the end of play. It was Ayres’ second gold medal after she won the same age group last year in Canberra.

The duo weren’t the only local representatives at the tournament either. Fellow club members Wendy Izzard and Helen Burge also competed in a lower age group and ended up coming third.