Nick Barnier has claimed his first division one men’s singles title at the 2024 Gunnedah Tennis Club Championship.
The local player edged out his former coach Craig Louis to win 6-4, 6-2 at the Woseley Park tennis courts.
Barnier described it as a “full circle moment” taking out the win against his former mentor.
“For his age, he’s still one of the fittest blokes around,” Barnier said.
Louis was equally complimentary of the young talent who has only recently returned to tennis circles after more than a year away from the game.
“It is always nice to take on one your students in their first club championship win,” Louis said.
The final was level 4-all in the first set before Barnier tightened the screws to win the opening stanza and consolidated with a comfortable 6-2 win in the second set.
The good mates broke tradition to sit on the same side on the court between sets, trading jokes and game camaraderie throughout the final.
Louis, who also faced his son Mason in the semi-final, was just happy to get a game-up in the final compared to his usual performance against Barnier.
“He usually beats me 6-3 so to get an extra game is a positive,” he joked.
The Gunnedah coach was pleased to see Barnier succeed, recalling a saying he’d been told: “if you do a good job coaching them, they will beat you eventually”.
Barnier and Louis teamed up in the men’s doubles to beat Juan Villa Katamuscay, Reita Nagatomo 7-6, 6-2.
The opening set was a see-saw battle that saw the champs down 5-2 before clawing back to a tie-break which they won 9-7.
It was a first-time pairing for the Louis and Barnier and a match that the mentor felt a little more pressure than most.
“I wasn’t nervous but I wanted to do good by Nick,” Louis said.
Facing big serves and strong volleys from the Katamuscay-Nagatomo duo, the singles finalists prevailed in the second set 6-2.
In the women’s division one singles, Gabby O’Gorman won 6-2 6-0 against Isabelle Moore.
Despite the runner-up singles title, Moore went one better in the women’s doubles, pairing with Ellie Ryan to beat Trish O’Gorman, Gabby O’Gorman 6-2, 7-5.
Gabby O’Gorman also partnered with Dale Martin to win the mixed doubles final in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Ellie Ryan and Craig Louis.

Lachlan Finnerty 12-and-under champion and Junior Rookie of the Year; Adalie Muddle 10u champion; Buddy Ryan 10u champion; Craig Louis Player of the Year; Allie Neilson 12u champion; Sophie Neilsen Div 2 champion and Harry Tudgey Div 2 champion and Rookie of the Year.
Division 1 women’s singles winner Gabby O’Gorman and runner-up, Isabelle Moore.
Division 2 women’s runner-up, Jazmin Hobden.
Andrew Riordan at full stretch on court during the championships play.
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