After weeks of team battles, tactical selections, sudden-death deuces, questionable concentration levels and the usual Cuffley tennis chaos, the Cuffley Team Tournament Final finally arrived.
The format was simple but brutal:
3 matches — one singles and two doubles.
Each match played over 13 games, with sudden death deuce.
And most importantly — every game counted.
The final was:
Paul F’s Team
Paul F, Bernard, Karis, Radka & James M
v
Nilesh’s Team
Nilesh, Sophie B, Ron & Adam
Match 1
Radka / James M v Adam / Ron
The opener had absolutely everything — momentum swings, pressure points, a comeback attempt, and even questions over umpire concentration.
Adam and Ron came flying out of the blocks, racing to a 7-3 lead. At that point, it looked like they were cruising. Maybe the sun was shining a little too brightly, or perhaps Radka’s outfit had dazzled Ron and Adam into submission.
But Radka and James M were not done. They piled on the pressure, dug deep, and suddenly won three games on the trot to make things very interesting.
At one stage, Radka even questioned whether umpire Andrew C was actually concentrating on the match — which, to be fair, is a bold but entirely reasonable Cuffley concern.
Despite the late charge, Adam and Ron just managed to hold on.
Adam / Ron beat Radka / James M 7-6
First blood to Nilesh’s team — but only just.
Match 2
Paul F v Sophie B
This was always going to be a nail-biter.
On one side, Paul F — the slicer and dicer, floating balls into awkward places and asking deeply irritating tennis questions.
On the other, Sophie B, bringing youth, energy and heavy topspin.
Sophie started brilliantly, racing to a 2-0 lead, and for a brief moment Paul looked like he might need a tactical drinks break, a new plan, or possibly both.
But then Paul found his rhythm. The slices started biting, the dicing began, and Sophie was dragged into a proper Cuffley battle.
A big thank you to Rob S, who stepped up — pint in hand — to the high chair to umpire. A fine example of multitasking under pressure.
Paul eventually took control and won:
Paul F beat Sophie B 9-4
That result swung the scoreboard firmly back towards Paul’s team.
Match 3
Nilesh / Sophie B v Karis / Bernard
Going into the final rubber, Nilesh’s team were facing a 4-game deficit, so this was always going to be a tough ask.
Bernard, meanwhile, appeared more worried about the Arsenal score than the tennis — which may or may not explain some of the shot selection.
The match was neck and neck throughout. There was big serving from Karis and Nilesh, dainty touches and volleys from Bernard, and brilliant running and retrieving from Sophie, who had clearly decided she was not leaving without a fight.
Nilesh and Sophie dug deep and managed to edge it:
Nilesh / Sophie B beat Karis / Bernard 7-6
Special mention again to umpire Andrew C, who by this stage was a couple of pints in, may have briefly forgotten the score, and was possibly distracted worrying about Spurs’ relegation battle 😂
Thankfully, Karis was fully switched on and kept everyone honest.
So after three matches, plenty of drama, and every single game added together, the final score was:
Paul F’s Team 20
Nilesh’s Team 18
A brilliant final, decided by just two games.
And after all the sudden-death deuces, pressure points, umpire debates, pint-assisted officiating, Arsenal score updates and Spurs relegation concerns…
🏆 Champions: Paul F, Karis, Bernard, James M & Radka 🏆
Lots more photos can be found on our Facebook page ( courtesy of our resident photographer Indy ) here : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579694432830