By Herbie Powell-Gray

Derby day returned to Cyncoed Campus this Wednesday, as both the Men’s 1s and Women’s 1s faced their Cardiff Uni counterparts at the Tennis Centre, with both sides looking to find convincing wins. 

The Men’s 1s produced one of their best performances and results of the season so far, with a crushing 6-0 win, losing only one set to their opponents throughout the whole match. Alex Hyman and Evan Kennedy kicked off proceedings with a 6-0 6-2 doubles win, while Harry Lear and Maian Minnaar won a thriller 6-2 3-6 10-8 to give the Archers the perfect start.

Met also won all four singles rubbers, with Lear and Minnaar winning in straight sets, before Hyman provided the lunchtime bagels with a 6-0 6-0 win. Kennedy then secured the whitewash victory and the bragging rights with a 6-0 6-3 win on Court 1.

The result moves the Men’s 1s up to 2nd place in the BUCS Western Tier 1 with a crucial clash to come against top of the table Bath 3s next week, where if they win, they will go into the Christmas break at the top of the table.

The Women’s 1s were unlucky in their fixture against their table topping cross-city rivals, with Cardiff Uni coming out on top with a 4-2 scoreline. Amy Wright and Chloe Efford battled hard in a tough first doubles match, before eventually losing 6-4 5-7 10-5. Josie Culliford and Disha Gaba suffered the same fate, with a 6-3 6-3 defeat leaving Met with work to do during the singles matches.

Efford made the perfect start as her opponent retired injured to provide Met’s first point on the board, but straight set defeats for Culliford and Wright meant that Cardiff secured the points they needed to win the fixture, maintaining their unbeaten record this season. Gaba gained a consolation point for the Archers in a brilliant marathon match on Court 4, coming from behind to win 2-6 7-5 13-11.

The defeat means they remain 4th in the league table, with their next fixture against a tricky Exeter side who have only lost once all season, taking place on 25th January at the Tennis Centre on Cyncoed Campus.

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