The ANZ junior tennis program is for 10-year-olds and below, the Tongala program attracting 45 participants this year.
Co-ordinator Corey Nexhip said Barney was just one member of the popular three- and four-year-old group, which had an emphasis on fun and games.
“There are three different programs, the second is for five- and six-year-olds, then the bigger kids are in the final group,” Mr Nexhip said.
"We’ve improved from last year, we are running for six weeks and may even run a couple of weeks in the new year as a holiday program.
“This is my second year running the program, but it started a year before that.”
Tongala now has five junior teams, an increase of last year.
“That is directly as a result of Hot Shots. The section five kids are the graduates from Hot Shots,” he said.
Tongala’s juniors play in the Kyabram District Tennis Competition, while its two senior teams compete in the Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association.
“We haven’t heard a start date yet for the senior teams, but the juniors are hoping to start on November 6,” Mr Nexhip said.
As for Barney, well he soon got a handle on that tennis ball, and if breeding has anything to do with it has a bright sporting future ahead of him.
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