The great Aussie tradition of family members getting together to whack some fluffy yellow balls around a court was evident throughout the duration of Country Week 2024.
Wodonga, Victoria, 20 February 2024 | Courtney Walsh
Harley Langstaff had a message for his grandfather Neil as the patriarch of the Leongatha clan stepped on to the court for a Tennis Victoria Country Week grand final on Friday.
It had been a busy morning for the nine-year-old, who helped his dad Joel and the rest of the Langstaff family warm up for the match in between running drinks and cheering the team on.
The experience of a week away in Wodonga and Albury, where three generations of the same family represented Leongatha, whetted his appetite and he wanted in on the action.
“He told me, ‘You have to play for at least another five years, so I get the chance to play with you’,” Neil Langstaff told tennis.com.au.
It was a dramatic morning for the team, with the grandfather tearing a calf muscle during a final the Leongatha L’s won by one game over the Merry Marshians from Bacchus Marsh.
The Section 11 team led by Langstaff also featured his sons Ethan and Joel Langstaff, while Harley’s elder brother Zac, 16, enjoyed his first Country Week triumph in the decider.
“It is something that I am super proud of, to be able to play in a team with my father and my brother and my son,” Joel Langstaff said.
“The best thing about Country Week is seeing players of so many different ages and shapes and sizes and ability, and you look around and get a reminder that it is a great lifestyle and that tennis is good for your long-term health.
“It is such a positive thing for the boys to have so many good role models around.”
The great Aussie tradition of family members getting together to whack some fluffy yellow balls around a court was evident throughout the duration of Country Week 2024.
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It is not quite a tennis version of the reality show Farmer Wants A Wife but there were plenty of couples competing in the Albury-Wodonga teams event who partnered through the sport.
Dairy farmer Robin and Anne Albert met at Country Week in Albury-Wodonga in 1988 and noted how fortunate they are that their shared love of tennis brought them together.
It took some persistence from Robin, the oldest player at Country Week this year, but the couple said the only argument they have ever had since…
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