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Three Goulburn Valley players helped The Leconte team claim back-to-back Victorian Country Tennis Association Country Week A-grade titles at Swan Hill on Friday.

Kyabram’s David Starling, Shepparton’s Jarrod Bingham and Undera-based Tim Ashcroft joined Bendigo’s Curt Garwood and Geelong pair Shane Wiffen and Matt Holschier in the victorious The Leconte squad.

They weren’t the only successful Goulburn Valley players, with the Shepparton Sista’s and Shepparton Sets in the City sides winning the women’s B Special 1 and B2 grades, respectively.

Viv Jeffery, Yvonne Maxwell, Narelle Maxted, Caroline Campbell and Barbara Strange formed the Shepparton Sista’s.

Shepparton’s Kerry Walker, Rosie Habel and Cathy O’Brien were Shepparton Sets in the City’s local connections, alongside Faye Anderson (Wagga), Marg Clode (Rosebud) and Maria van der Linden (Mornington).

The Leconte avenged its narrow round-robin defeat to Mud Island in the A-grade decider, winning 4-6-41 to 0-1-30.

Starling and Garwood won the No. 1 doubles 7-5, 7-5, while Bingham and Holschier recovered from a set down to register a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory in their clash.

The Leconte pairings won their respective opening sets of the reverse doubles to clinch the contest.

Starling said the lead-up to Friday’s final was a different experience to last year.

‘‘We worked really hard in the final, whereas last year we won the first set then we, not coasted, but the rest we won in straight sets,’’ Starling said.

‘‘This year we had to fight hard each set and we were fortunate to go up two rubbers to love and then we needed to win two sets (in the reverse doubles) to cement the final, which we did.

‘‘The boys are pretty keen to do it again, so we’ll saddle up again next year, but that’s another 12 months away, so, hopefully, everything is all right.’’

Maxted’s Shepparton Sista’s also won a Country Week crown two years ago at Swan Hill in the B Special 2 section.

‘‘We won it two years ago at Swan Hill with the same team, but we were only B Special 2, whereas this one is B Special 1,’’ Maxted said.

‘‘They tell me we have to go in A-grade next year and if it’s the same team then, I guess, we’ll have to.

‘‘We all get along well and it’s great meeting all the other teams we have to play against. It’s a big social event and tennis comes second.’’

Walker was just as thrilled with her team’s B2 triumph.

‘‘Rosie and I went up a grade this year and now we’re premiers,’’ Walker said.

‘‘What a great week. We had the best time and it was really good tennis.’’

VCTA Country Week is the biggest grass-court tournament in Australia and last week saw 197 men’s and women’s teams and more than 1200 players contest the round-robin event in 24 grades.

Next year’s event will be held at Wodonga Tennis Centre from February 11 to 15.