Somer Valley Tennis nearing the end of their summer league run….. with all to play for
Somer Valley Men’s 1sts are going very well this season, with promotion in their sights, new members Ashley Ward and Will Knight with existing members Luis Jauregui and Nathan Jackson plus solid performances from Patrick Lodge and Sam Perryman got to this 9th round of the summer league was only needing 6 points to guarantee promotion after a good season.
This was “helped” after Luis Jauregui, Ashley Ward, Sam Perryman and Patrick Lodge heard that Central would only be sending 1 pair due to last-minute covid drop-outs. Just winning 1 game against Jamie and Simon would secure the 6 points, which Ashley and Luis did in double-quick time. They lost just 1 game in a 6-1, 6-0 win, with some entertaining rallies.
Sam and Pat had been patiently waiting, and then repeated the score line, dropping just 1 game in the first set. A few highlights included a round-the-post shot from Sam, and a between-the-legs shot, also from Sam! Talk about making the highlights!
Writhlington pupil Ashley Ward went onto play on a very hot Mens Wimbledon Finals Day to play in the Avon County U14 Play your Way to Wimbledon (previously known as Road to Wimbledon) and won the county round – said Dragonfly Leisure Tennis Head Coach Tom Entwistle ‘ Ashley is really playing well at the moment, his fitness has improved, he has shot up in height and his serve is now coming down like bombs raining down on you, we are all proud of the way he is playing!’
The rest of the men’s teams are having a varied season, but we are hopeful that the men’s 4th will gain promotion under new captain Payman Fathi and the other 3 teams manage to stay in their current divisions.
Somer Valley Ladies 1st team and having a mixed season, are mid table in the Avon County 1st division which is mostly due to the excellent partnership of Mandy Baldwin and Francesca Beg. Alex Hull, Sarah Dawe plus other members of the club ably make up the team of 4 required weekly and its with this depth of players within Somer Valley which gives us the ability to field so many teams each week.
The ladies other 3 teams all led by captains Louise Derrick, Jane Benney & Tracey Stephens are currently working very hard to stay in their current divisions, this might not prove possible for every team but ending a report on a positive note is always important !
Mandy Stonier
Chair of Somer Valley Tennis