The day slowly bloomed into a bright afternoon and a beautiful summer's evening. Under brightening skies, many of you came to watch, Pimms was enjoyed, and the action was great as the Adult finals were played out.  

NINE titles were won and a new club record was set. And as the evening wore on, the final match of the day – the Men’s Doubles Final – held a group of around 50 spectators enthralled. This high quality three-set drama of spectacular rallies led several to judge it the best doubles match they'd seen on any finals day!
 
Big thanks to Laura Ritchie, our Tournament Director, for holding a steady course while steering this annual club event to its climax. And thanks also to Liz Ashdown for organising decorative touches and the essential provision of lunches (thanks Michal) and Pimms (thanks Hayley & Diego)… all essential parts of an RLTC Finals Day! Thanks also to those who stepped forward to umpire matches: Michael Jones, Andy Jenkins, Elie Couttet, Matt Joseph, Mark Saunders, Jo Purkiss and Laura herself.
 
Many congratulations to all our winners and finalists, and here – for the record – is where all the titles went:
Ladies Singles Final
Sophie Weedon d. Carmen Cacicedo (6-2, 6-0)
 
Mens Singles Final
Harvey Kavanagh d. Iain Ure (2-6, 6-1, 7-5)
 
Ladies Doubles Final
Sophie Weedon & Carmen Cacicedo d. Jo Purkiss & Laura Ritchie (6-3, 6-0)
 
Mens Doubles Final
Cameron Kavanagh & Harvey Kavanagh d. Mark Saunders & Tom Smith (4-6, 6-1, 7-5)
 
Mixed Doubles Final
Carmen Cacicedo & Antoine Decottignies d. Sophie Weedon & Nic Lasalvia Temperley (7-5, 6-3)
 
Ladies Veterans (40+) Doubles Final
Vanessa Brown & Laura Ritchie d. Sandra Aldridge & Penny Maunder (6-1, 6-1)
 
Mens Veterans (45+) Doubles Final
Akhilesh Pokhariyal & Tony Pandilovski d. Dan Williams & Charles Soden-Bird (6-2, 6-3)
 
Ladies Super Vets (55+) Doubles Final
Vanessa Brown & June Stowell d. Nora Dennehy & Lynda Fisher (6-1, 6-1)
 
Mens Super Vets (60+) Doubles Final
Charles Soden-Bird & Nigel Davis d. Tony Hall & Tony Parker (7-6, 6-3)

Very well played everyone!

Please note that three IMPROVER DOUBLES events (Men’s, Ladies, Mixed) also form part of this year’s RLTC Championships and are being played as Round Robin competitions. They are yet to be completed, and winners will be announced at a later date.

Stats Corner

• Carmen Cacicedo & Sophie Weedon set a new club record in winning their fifth consecutive Ladies Doubles title together. They have now moved clear of the other pair (Mrs A. K. Guyer & Mrs C. P. Lewis 1930-33) to have won this title four times in a row.
• Sophie Weedon also won her fourth consecutive Ladies Singles title, taking her personal haul of club titles to 11.
• Carmen Cacicedo & Antoine Decottignies won their third consecutive Mixed Doubles title together, taking Carmen’s personal haul of club titles to 14 and Antoine’s now to 9.
• Victory in the Men’s Singles Final for Harvey Kavanagh – already the 2023 Peter Brook champion (with Nichola Hartman) – marked just the beginning of a very good day for the Kavanagh family. Dad Noel (our 1990 Men’s Singles champion) and other family members were courtside on Sunday to watch Harvey defeat 2021 champion Iain Ure.  They later witnessed Harvey partnering his brother Cameron Kavanagh to win the Men’s Doubles in a dramatic finish.
• Vanessa Brown & June Stowell won their 10th club doubles title together with victory in the Ladies ‘Super Vets’ Doubles (adding to the 2x Ladies Doubles and 7x Ladies Vets Doubles they've won together). This takes June’s personal club title collection to a whopping 23. Vanessa, meanwhile, also added the Ladies Veterans Doubles title which pushes her personal total of club titles up to 18.
• Meanwhile Laura Ritchie’s 15th club title (partnering Vanessa in winning the Ladies Vets Doubles) moves her up to joint 8th place on the club's all-time title-winning list. Vanessa now stands alone in 5th place.  June remains in 4th position making her just one title behind third-placed Mrs A K Guyer, a prolific Richmond title-winner in the 1930s and 40s. The legend grows…

Note: Our list of the most successful title-winners in the club’s long history (est. 1878), now displayed on the Tennis Wall in the clubhouse, will in due course be updated to reflect these notable achievements.