Saturday 7th September was our third finals day of the year, and we had several new finalists joining us for an exciting handicap finals day. This was also our first event since the clubhouse refurbishment, giving everyone a great opportunity to appreciate all the improvements.
First up were our two singles finals: in the ladies we had new finalists Hannah Reader and Jane Harding battling it out for the trophy; in the men’s it was previous open champion Tim Austin taking on the 2020 handicap winner Justin Gibson. Hannah and Tim both had significant handicaps to overcome. A closely fought ladies match ended with Hannah taking the trophy with a 10-6 victory over Jane, and an equally close men’s final with many long rallies and tight games ended with a 10-5 triumph for Justin.
The ladies’ doubles final was our first ever mother/daughter contest, with regular doubles partners Lucy Hamilton and Susie Taylor lining up on opposite sides with daughters Georgie and Hannah. There was hard hitting and lots of running from all four competitors with Lucy & Georgie getting off to a particularly good start. Despite a strong comeback from Susie & Hannah, Lucy & Georgie emerged victorious with a 10-5 win.
The men’s doubles final was also a hard-fought match, with club chairman Graham Burr reuniting with previous partner Simon Foster after a couple of decades to take on new pairing Glen Warriner and first-time finalist Rob McIntyre. This was a match of lobs, overheads and lots of interceptions, with the experience of Graham & Simon showing through in the end, helping them to seal a 10-4 victory.
The mixed doubles final saw four new finalists, with Ann Bowen & John Cooper taking on Manish Das and Jane Harding. Ann & John took an early lead, but Manish & Jane changed strategy and fought back with some strong net play to take the win, 10-6.
Big thanks to our volunteer umpires Bill Austin, Mars Hatari, Russell Dykes, Tim Austin, Hilary Austin and Hugh Brown, as well as everyone involved with teas, the bar, the bbq, and the club photo!
Results:
Hannah Reader bt Jane Harding 10-6
Justin Gibson bt Tim Austin 10-5
Lucy & Georgie Hamilton bt Susie & Hannah Taylor 10-5
Graham Burr & Simon Foster bt Glen Warriner & Rob McIntyre 10-4
Manish Das & Jane Harding bt Ann Bowen & John Cooper 10-6
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