Telford Park battle past Wigmore 

The forecast wasn’t promising, with a dull grey sky threatening rain at any moment on Sunday 26 April as we, Telford Park, faced our old rivals Wigmore in a tie that was as important in spirit as it was in points; and it got off to a spirited start with some hard fought singles.

New member Diana Chapman (TP) set the bar with a blistering 6-2 6-0 win over Clare Sanderson (W) in the Ladies singles.

The Men’s singles put Alec Webb (TP) to the test in his first Millennium Cup match against Wigmore’s Tim Vile. A long and energetic battle ensued with every point being hard won! Tim finally won through giving Norbury a 6-4 6-2 victory, but the scoreline didn’t reflect the closeness of the match.

Lorraine Pereira (TP) managed to get ahead of Amina Kadern-Callus (W) in the Ladies 40+, taking the first set 6-3. Amina came back strong in the second set, but Lorraine held fast and finally took the set 6-4 to give Telford another win.

Tim Loughhead (TP) was also taking no prisoners, beating Mark Jackson (W) 6-1 6-3 in a fast and furious Men’s Vets singles.

In the Girls Under 16s Josie Griffiths (TP) faced a confident Phoebe Dennis (W). It was neck and neck in the first set with lots of long rallies and neither player quite managing to take command. Phoebe managed to take the first set 7-5 with determined play, then eased ahead in the second set to take It 6-2, despite some strong play from Josie, giving Wigmore another win.

In the Boys Under 16s, Remel Alvares (TP) played well, with some consistent deep shots keeping his opponent Sebastian Fallowfield (W) to the back of the court. Sebastian fought hard with some strong attacking play, but Remel managed to build on to an early break of serve to win the first set 6-3. More of the same in the second set saw Remel forge ahead to win 6-2.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Ruff and Juliet Grffiths (TP) struggled to make their mark against Wigmore’s Anne Boucnik and Alex McAdam Clark in the Ladies’ Doubles, finally losing to them 6-3 6-3.

With Telford 4-3 up it looked like we were in for a long afternoon with a ‘battle royal’ taking place in the Men’s Doubles.

Peter Gaspar and Bond Wong (T) were trading point for point against Wigmore’s Peter Keeling and Julian Stubbs. This marathon match continued long after the rest of us had finished with lots of athletic play, dramatic slides and attacking net play. The first set finally went in Telford’s favour 6-4 but Wigmore came back harder and even faster in the second set with them finally taking the tie-break  6-7 to draw even.

It was all down to the Championship Tie-break with each side trading point for point. Telford finally won 10-8, but it was scarily close and really could have gone either way.

Caroline De St. Quentin and Steve Graham (TP) proved to be too strong for Wigmore’s Nick Eastwood and Jenny Burton, who was not just playing her first Millennium tie, but her first ever match! Telford won with a decisive 6-2 6-1.

By now the bar and barbecue were in full swing and it was time to relax and for both sides to recount the ‘should have/could have’ points they nearly won as well as the ones they gave away.

A great win for Telford Park but not nearly as comfortable as the score might suggest.

Thanks too to Juliet and everyone who helped with the food. It’s not just the tennis that people enjoy playing at Telford for!

Report by Steve Graham, Telford Millennium Cup Captain

Wigmore’s Report: –

We played in a freezing wind but no rain.

All the matches were competitive and the players enjoyed the day.

Special congratulations to the juniors Remel Alvares (TP), Sebastian Fallowfield (W), Phoebe Dennis (W) and Josie Griffiths (TP), who all played to a very good standard of tennis.

Thanks to Juliet Griffiths for organising the food and the barbecue which were superb!

Alex McAdam Clark, Wigmore Millennium Cup Captain

Results

Telford Park defeated Wigmore 6-3

(Telford Park names first)

Women’s Singles: Diana Chapman d Clare Sanderson 6-2 6-0; Men’s Singles: Tim Vile lost to Alec Loeb 6-4 6-2; Women’s Over 45 Singles: Lorraine Pereira d Amina Kadern-Callus 6-3 6-4; Men’s Over 40 Singles: Tim Loughhead d Mark Jackson 6-1 6-3; Girls Under 16 Singles: Josie Griffiths lost to Phoebe Dennis 7-5 6-2; Boys Under 16 Singles: Remel Alvares d Sebastian Fallowfield 6-3 6-2; Women’s Doubles: Rebecca Ruff & Juliet Griffiths lost to Anne Boucnik & Alex McAdam Clark 6-3 6-3; Men’s Doubles: Peter Gaspar & Bond Wong d Peter Keeling & Julian Stubbs 6-4 6-7 [10-8]; Mixed Doubles: Steve Graham & Caroline De St. Quentin d Nick Eastwood and Jenny Burton 6-2 6-1.