25 May 2021
Yet another bout of tempestuous weather beset Abingdon tennis players on Saturday vs Warwick. Despite this the quality of tennis was really excellent across all ages. The U18 As and Bs, now strengthened with the return of the ISL team, put in stellar performances. The As managed a convincing victory overall, with special mention to Monty and Archie who, as U15 players, were playing up several age brackets and were narrowly defeated. The Bs couldn’t quite match the A result but put in a great performance against a very strong Warwick side.
The U16 As also put in a strong performance against a slightly older U18 third team; great to see them letting off steam after the pressures of internal exams! The weather caused a little havoc, with opposite numbers ending up playing a two set decider instead of the usual three rounds of one set. Unfortunately they weren’t able to take a win but there were some really hard fought matches across the team that were very close, with the third pair ending up in a tie break final at one set all.
The U15 A and B teams were also playing away at Warwick. Both teams won and showed great composure and a real sense of fair play. The As saw a dramatic championship tie-break which they won 10-5, Sam Hughes and Max Woodthorpe Browne were great and really ramped up the pressure. The Bs had a slightly tricky situation as some of the pairings were slightly different from usual. Despite this they still went on to achieve a 6-3 victory.
U14 As and Bs were playing at home on the Tilsley Park pitches. They maintained their excellent record of wins so far this season, only dropping one set; though some of the sets were close and there were some very competitive games. The tactical doubles play was excellent, with some strong winning volleys deployed. The boys need to work a little on serve consistency, always a challenge on the Tilsley astro. But that being said they can be very pleased with their performance.
The U13 As performed admirably, considering that this was their first match of the season and was plagued with intermittent wind and rain. After a slightly shaky start the 2nd and 3rd pairs won their final games. The first pair played superbly in rounds 1 and 2 but came up against a very strong 1st pair for the final round. Overall, Warwick took the win, but only narrowly with the final score being 5-4.
Well done to all those who played. Let’s hope for better weather in the second half of term.
