Spectators keeping warm	Zaman and Nigel	Andrew and Charlie Pisker
Cliff Bloxham and Peter Blythe	Caroline Barker congratulates Sally Harper	Sally and Mikaela
John and Sharon	Judith and Martyn	Mikaela and Alison
Jo and Sharon

Sunday 24th June:  a cold, grey day with rain forecast but all the finals were played, a barbecue was held and a very enjoyable afternoon was had by a good group of supporters.  Only the band needed to be cancelled as the late start to the events would have made it too much of a distraction.

In the Ladies final, Sally and Mikaela played a long, hard match from the baseline with neither player risking a rush to the net as both have excellent lobs. Both players showed grit, determination and stamina with their long rallies but it was Sally who emerged as the champion.

Cliff Bloxham has his name on the Honours Board many times and he has played Robbie Blythe in a final before but now he was up against the the younger brother Peter.  The score did not reflect the quality of a match with fine, powerful tennis.  Peter sent over blistering shots but they were returned by the imperturbable Cliff.  There was some particularly good serving in the match and although Cliff gained the championship title, Peter gained the respect of the spectators who marvelled at the quality of his tennis. 

The father and son pair of Andrew and Charlie Pisker is a class act and they met the reigning veteran men's champions Nigel and Zaman (who were giving away an undisclosed number of years) to produce a wonderful display of doubles.   Zaman was tentative in the first set but found bite and attack with his shots in the second.  It is tricky for anyone to outplay Nigel in the men's game at the club but it was hard for him to escape the power and accuracy of the Piskers' net play in this excellent match.

The new ladies champion kindly stood a round of drinks for all present and the there was a sparkling mood at the start of the mixed doubles.  This was an outstandingly good match.   Caroline B has captured the classic style of Martyn's serve (see above).  There were dazzling rallies with some splendidly speedy exchanges at the net.  Sharon relished the pace and power of the game and produced a couple of blinding winners of her own down the trams.  Judith's powerful topspin drive made high returns inevitable and these were put away with stylish accuracy by Martyn.  The match ended with Martyn executing a delicate stop volley which nearly bounced back over the net.  Book now for lessons with our club coach...

Sharon and Jo took on the 2006 veteran ladies champions Alison and Mikaela but it was very hard to get much past the eventual winners.  Mikaela can retrieve almost any ball and Alison, who has recently returned to the court after recovering from tennis elbow, is up at the net in a flash, but the opposition found some cleverly placed lobs and passing shots to pick up points.  The best rallies were the fast exchanges at net.  Sharon and Jo have been beaten by Wendy and Penny in the past but are now worthy champions themselves.

Ruth and Roz produced a range of delicious salads and desserts for us and Caroline B organised the presentations.  Many thanks to all for giving us such an enjoyable afternoon on an otherwise grey and dismal day.