Wheldrake Storm Back To Earn Courageous Draw

 Glorious setting off the A19 at Clifton Park, with fantastic facilities for most sports. We had six courts to choose from, but the top boys from league 1 bagged the best ones, which left us with 3 single isolated courts so difficult for me to see what was happening on the other courts till the guys came in at the end of their respective matches with thumbs up or down!

 First round witnessed Don & Alex bring home a point, but the Murtagh boys were all a bit rusty from their long break with no doubles practise!

 Second round again saw Wheldrake’s only point coming against York #3 as Don & Alex narrowly missed out on a half v York #1.

How many rubbers have we lost 7-5 this season!?

As we went into the last set of rubbers, we looked down and out at 4-2, with York’s top two pairs at 100%,  but things were about to change!

Steve and Colin got a vital point, relegating York #3 to three defeats.

Don and Alex then performed heroics with a fantastic 9 – 3 win v York #2, giving experience and youth an outstanding 23 games this match.

All eyes were on the last rubber with us 3 -0, and then 5 – 2 down, before Andrew started firing bullets down the line with his trade mark top spin forehand, and we clawed our way back to 6-5 down.

Andrew had the all-important last service game: service winner, 15 – 0: intercept return at the net, 30 -0: looking good. Return winner from a second serve, darn it, 30 -15. First serve, long, second serve….just in, long rally, and a very rare volley winner, get in, 40 -15! Andrew looks relaxed now, first serve in, decent deep return, then Andrew smoked it down their back-hand line as they approached the net for a clean winner, game over and 6-6, and 54 – 54!

Time for an ice-cream and ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ discussions!

      York                       6 – 6            Wheldrake