The last Super Seniors game was a rearranged home match against Risbygate, who couldn’t raise a team for the original date.  In true Needingworth spirit, it was always about playing the game rather than claiming points – and the reason – an opportunity to play against peers of similar age.

Although Needingworth were fielding a team consisting of Jim, Mike, Chris (Huntingdon) and Graham, they were always going to be the underdogs against Risbygate who were sporting 2 County players, 2 excellent Club players and had been undefeated over the last couple of years.  However, anybody under the illusion that Super Seniors tennis was a slow laborious affair, full of pit-a-pat shots would have been in for a shock.  Yes, it was old men on both sides of the net, but this was full on tennis and anyone watching the game would be forgiven at thinking we were much younger than our tender years.

Needingworth eventually lost the match 4-2 but the ferocious pace of the rallies was staggering.  It was inspirational to see the Needingworth team fully commit themselves to the cause.  So much so, Graham took a serious fall running for a superbly angled ball;  a ball which he not only got to, but even managed to return it as he was clattering to the ground.  Unfortunately, Risbygate won the point as Jim was more concerned for his partner than anything else.  Didn’t matter though, after recovering from the shock of seeing the world from a different angle, Jim and Graham went on to win the set.

Jim and Mike also pulled another one out the bag and won the set twice.  Once when their No 1 had to retire with a foot injury and again when their skipper came on to complete the set.  If we could only have won that first close set, but that was always going to be a tall order as Chris travelled all the way up from Kent that morning just to get to Needingworth in time for the start and as everyone knows, it always takes time to loosen up after sitting in a car for ages.

The set results on the other court may not have been quite as close in the score line but the commitment was no less.  The team should hold their heads up high for competing at such a high level.  The efforts by all our players over the 2019 season should keep the team in division 1 for 2020.