Ten mixed doubles pairs entered the tournament and were divided into 2 leagues with 5 pairs in each league. Each pair played a set against the other 4 pairs in their league. Points were awarded on a league basis with winners of the two groups playing each other in the final and the second place in each group having a playoff for third place in the tournament.
In the first group, Claire Hawkins and Tony Light won all their sets despite Tony arriving late for the tournament and starting the first set without a warm-up. Mair Vaughan and Matt Stringer played well to finish second in their league.
In the second group Jo Hargreaves and Felix Boyes produced a dominant performance, only conceding 4 games in their 4 sets. Rose Higgins and Nick Mason had won their sets comfortably until they bumped into Jo and Felix.
The final between Claire Hawkins/Tony Light and Jo Hargreaves/Felix Boyes was played on the main show court. Jo & Felix ultimately proved to be too strong for Claire & Tony and won the final 6-3, 6-3. Jo & Felix’s experience in playing as a pair and particularly Felix’s youthful agility proving to be the decisive factors.
The play off for third place was a close encounter between Rose/Nick and Mair/Matt. Rose and Nick secured the first, closely contested set 6-4. This continued to be a close match into the second set, reaching 6-6 and triggering a tie break. Mair & Matt started the tie break well and were leading 4-2 before Rose & Nick recovered and clinched the tie break 7-5.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable tournament: All competitors played to win, but with a strong sense of camaraderie. 24 sets of tennis were played across all 8 courts. Detailed records were not kept of the countless cups of tea and coffee, biscuits and slices of cake that were consumed.
The tournament concluded with the presentation on the President’s Plate to Jo & Felix by the Club President, John Harbottle.
