After a blistering few months, which took those of us old enough to remember it back to the glorious summer of 1976, Congleton Lawn Tennis Club’s annual mixed doubles summer tournament arrived with leaden skies and a distinct chill in the air.
As entrants began to convene ready for the starting time of 2:00pm, it was with some trepidation that they saw some particularly keen competitors were already out practising on the wet courts.
After a brief pause to consider whether we would be beaten by the inclement weather, most of the entrants decided that rather than delay the event to a later date they were happy to play. Cue some hasty re-partnering and re-handicapping of pairs to ensure that all levels of ability were able to compete on an even footing.
Play was continuous throughout the afternoon, save for a 30-minute break to take shelter from a particularly heavy downpour. Still, this gave competitors the opportunity to enjoy some hard-earned strawberries and essential energy providing millionaire shortbread chunks eaten purely for the purposes of fuelling sporting greatness as opposed to any enjoyment factor.
Helen Dyson and Peter Dallow emerged victorious from the ‘Stefan Edberg’ group, whilst Emma Walton and Joe Buckley were close runners-up. Tally and Istvan Kaplan won the ‘Steffi Graf’ group convincingly and progressed into the semis alongside Beth Sladin and Craig Robson from the eponymously suspect ‘Martina Laver’ group.
Despite a severe handicap, Tally and Istvan won their semi-final match 4-2 against Emma and Joe. Meanwhile, despite a significant points advantage in each game, Beth and Craig could not halt the charge of Helen and Peter.
The final was therefore waged between two well-deserving teams. Prevailing over wind, rain and severe handicaps, each had emerged as clear finalists. Tally and Istvan were placed at a point disadvantage each game and they were off! Several punishing returns of service from Peter were complimented by some deft touches at net by Helen and one particularly impressive forehand canon from her down the line off a fierce first serve from Istvan. In the end, their victory was a decisive one. 4-0.
After some tired handshaking at the net and some not-at-all awkward photographs taken to mark the trophy presentation, the tournament was finished for another year.
Will Helen and Peter defend their title? Let’s hope that a more summery day sees them attempt to do just that in 2019!
Craig Robinson