With the 1st Don Brace Trophy match being played at a time when all our young players were either injured or otherwise occupied, it was up to some of the Needingworth stalwarts to face the combined might of Longthorpe on their super-fast artificial grass courts.

Everything looked so quintessentially English with lovely green courts and the Longthorpe players consisting of Phil and Caroline supported by JP and Ruth dressed in all white.  They certainly looked the part but then again, so did our Sue, Chris, Kaz and Warren.

From the start, it was obvious that the courts were not as good as they initially appeared, and the earlier rain shower seemed to be squelching underfoot as players moved and making changes in direction difficult.  With the ball staying much lower and skidding through much faster than expected, it was apparent there was a definite home advantage as both Needingworth pairs struggled and although both our pairs returned a lot of good shots and getting to deuce on most games, they just couldn’t get the last shot in to win the game.

With Kaz and Warren already down 1 set, and Sue and Chris trailing 5-0, tragedy struck Chris when he ricked his back stretching for a ball that skidded.  Bravely playing on for a game, it always looked terminal and heeding advice, it was an early cup of tea for the Needingworth 1st pair.  Our 2nd pair continued to battle, and the air filled with excitement (and a dance from them) when they won their first game.  Better still, they won another before finally being beaten.

With no men’s match, it was up to the ladies to try and staunch the flow.  Once more, everyone played so well and just never got their just rewards for the effort put in.  The 1st set disappeared without Needingworth winning a game, but in true Needingworth spirit, the ladies never gave up and renewed their efforts.  By now, the court was drying out slightly and they started to master the surface.  With both our ladies now sure of their footing and playing much more telling shots, the games started to flow, along with more dances from Kaz.  Unfortunately, it was too late, and a 6-4 defeat ensued. 

This was always going to be a difficult match, and everyone put up a creditable performance and made the match exciting to watch for the spectators.  With so many close games, you must wonder whether the result could have been different on our courts.