Our second finals day of the season took place on Saturday 6th July:  despite several mid-match rain breaks it was an action-packed day for both competitors and spectators with some great tennis on display, excellent tea and cakes, and the ever-popular Pimms jug making an appearance on the bar!

The day started with the two singles finals where we welcomed three first-time finalists (Melody Reader, Evie Waite and Josh Nichols) on court, alongside last year’s triple champion Yoav Achiam.

The ladies’ singles was a hotly fought contest between two of our best juniors:  Melody got off to a fast start and was 4-1 up when the rain came down.  After a short rain-break, Evie came back strongly, taking several games before Melody took the first set 6-4.  The second set was a similar combination of strong hitting and excellent sportsmanship from both finalists, with Melody the eventual winner of the match.

The men’s singles was even closer, with last year’s winner Yoav getting off to a strong start in defence of his title.  The rain delay came at a crucial point in the first set, which Yoav went on to win on their return to court.  With an impressive set of shots on display, Josh fought back to take the second set, with Yoav ultimately retaining his title after a close third set.

The ladies’ doubles saw vets winners Catherine & Kerry taking on first-time doubles finalists Magda & Kelly.  This match was a combination of big baseline hitting, dynamic net play, and determined ball-chasing from all four players, with the experience of Catherine & Kerry showing through at the end resulting in a second 2024 doubles victory!

In the men’s doubles, last year’s runners up Bill & Ed returned to court to take on the new pairing of Josh & Dave.  Josh’s 3-set singles warm up turned out to be good preparation for the doubles, and Josh & Dave emerged victorious after the audience were treated with 2 sets of fantastic shot making and strong net play from all 4 players.

The last match of the day was the mixed doubles, with Yoav & Kerry taking on Dave & Claire in a rematch of last years’ epic 3 set battle.   Despite some close games, Dave & Claire raced ahead to a 6-1 lead before Yoav & Kerry battled back to take the second set 6-3.  The third set was punctuated with the cheers and groans of surrounding football spectators as England eventually won on penalties, the enticing smell of the club bbq, and finally enough sun to blind the umpire!  Dave continued his good form from the earlier doubles match to clinch the victory in the third set, in a reversal of last year’s result.

A big thank you to everyone who helped to make the day a success: Graham and Hywel on tea duty;  Hywel running the bar; Paul, Mars, Marcus, Graham and Hilary for umpiring; everyone who got roped in to help with the bbq; and retiring club captain Tim Austin. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our club captain, Claire, whose meticulous planning and organization ensured that the event ran smoothly despite some challenging weather conditions. Her dedication and hard work behind the scenes were instrumental in making the Finals Day a success.

The next finals day will be on Saturday 7th September, the long-range weather forecast looks good, and we look forward to welcoming finalists and supporters for another day of exciting tennis!

 

Results:

Yoav Achiam bt Josh Nichols 6-2 4-6 6-3

Melody Reader bt Evie Waite 6-4 6-3

David Leech & Josh Nichols bt Bill Austin & Ed Daubeney 6-4 6-2

Catherine Hartshorn & Kerry Johnson bt Magda D’Ingeo & Kelly Price 3-6 7-5 6-2

David Leech Claire Wiley & bt Yoav Achiam & Kerry Johnson 6-13-6 6-1

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