REPORT BY JANA:
On Sunday, 11th September, the club held Finals Day, which, for the first time in years, included a BBQ. Viv got the bunting out the drawer in the clubhouse and made everything look pretty, Jana and Sarah set up the gazebo and the BBQ and prayed that at least a few people turn up! After an unfavourable early-week forecast, according to which Sunday was going to be a washout, the Met Office changed its tune half-way through the week and Sunday actually turned out perfect! We had lots of sunny spells, temperatures of around 20 degrees and hardly any wind, ideal both for tennis and the barbie.
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF THINGS
The turnout on the day was unprecedented, with around 40 people attending, a mix of long-standing and new members of the club! Many brought family or friends and contributed with delicious food. Apart from eating, there was also lots of chit chat, laughter and “I haven’t seen you for ages!” remarks.
After the first lot of matches, we observed a minute’s silence in respect of the Queen who had passed away on Thursday.
Anne and Laura then expressed their thanks and bid farewell to Martyn Hopwood who is leaving us for Australia. Martyn was instrumental in getting funding for several projects for the tennis club, including the current clubhouse and will be sadly missed. Personally, I will remember Martyn as a stylish player and a gentleman who always had a smile on his face and a kind word to share.
Another member who got showered with thanks was Andrew Wiles. Andrew was the club’s Secretary for many years and his expertise in matters beyond a normal mortal’s understanding will definitely be missed by the current committee!
Special thanks must go to Dave and his wife Nicki who took on the role of chefs for the day and tended the BBQ – we couldn’t have done it without you!!
THE TENNIS SIDE OF THE DAY
For the first time in the history of the club, we trialed a new way of qualifying. The qualifying rounds were played over several weeks on days mutually agreed by the players. Making the ‘quallies’ more flexible meant that a lot more people than usual took part in the various events. All the draws and scores can be found HERE.
Action got underway at 11 AM with the Men’s Singles Final and the Men’s Singles Plate Final, followed by the Ladies’ Singles and the Mixed Doubles, and concluded with the Men’s Doubles and the Ladies’ Doubles finals.
Men’s Singles Final
The Men’s Singles was contested between our coach Jon Wills and Henry Cornish. Jon took off like a rocket and got himself an impressive lead of 4-1 in the first set. Then Henry gave himself a talking-to, started being more consistent, slowly clawed his way back and managed to win the first set in a tie-break. The rallies were long and arduous and the match offered a great spectacle. In the end, Henry just had that little bit more energy than Jon and took the match 7-6 (3) 6-2.
Men’s Singles Plate Final
The Men’s Singles Plate Final was a new event. It was to be contested between Joey Pickup and Alan Bond. Unfortunately, Alan had to withdraw at the last minute due to sickness, but Tim Allwright kindly stepped in his shoes. Tim had lost to Joey in the semifinals, so this was his chance for revenge 🙂 And he took it by the horns, winning the first set 6-3! Joey, whose family came to support him all the way from Portsmouth, came back in the second set, taking it 6-2. But in the end, Tim made it, winning the championship tie-break 10-3. Final score: 6-3 2-6 10-3 to Tim.
Ladies’ Singles Final
The ladies’ singles final saw a repeat of last year, with Juliet and Jana competing. Could Juliet get her name onto that trophy?! The girls got off to a shaky start, both missing easy shots and clearly nervous with all those people watching. After a few games, though, they settled down and gave the spectators an enjoyable match to watch. The first set was very close, with Jana just sneaking it in tie-break. In the second, Jana was a little more solid, grabbing it from Juliet 6-2. Final score: 7-6 (5) 6-2
Mixed Doubles Final
The mixed doubles final was contested between Joey & Selena and Harry & Rachel. Looking at the line-up, it was always gonna be a close one but in the end Joey & Selena just made it, overcoming Harry & Rachel 6-4 7-6.
Men’s Doubles Final
The men’s double final was a thriller of long rallies with none of the men giving up on any ball until it bounced twice (or over the fence!). The trophy in the end went to Mac & Tom H who narrowly beat Harry & Tim in three sets 7-5 4-6 10-7 (championship tie-break).
Ladies’ Doubles Final
The ladies’ doubles final was contested between Jana & Helen and Selena & Anita. Would it be trophy number 2 on the day for Jana, or for Selena? Jana & Helen went 2-5 down in the first set, only to take it 7-6. The score repeated itself in the second, with Selena & Anita being 5-2 up. This time, though, they held their nerve and took it 6-2. The championship tie-break ran away from Jana & Helen and in the end, it was Selly who bagged her second trophy of the day 🙂
