Archived News

Presidents Mixed tournament

Once again Wells tennis club benefited from the head coaches ties with Millfield School. As scheduled in the annual calendar of events it formed a perfect venue to escape from the ice and frost on a bitterly cold morning to play Christmas tennis undercover in the warm. Ten players enjoyed the superb facilities in the traditional mixed tournament held this time every year.
 
This year the competition was run by coach Alex Hudson. He added a new warm-up routine and some great background music which was appreciated by the players and helpers. Players were, as is customary, drawn out of a hat. The strong pairing of Gary Moule and Emma Osman caused some deliberation among the other participants, however they could see that this was pure chance, and did their best to upset their style in a number of close encounters. The matches were played on a 15 minute cycle, with a pause in the middle to enjoy the home made mince pies, biscuits and mulled wine. Play resumed and there was some strong opposition, and good play, to see who would make it to the final.
 
In the event the final consisted of Emma and Gary, playing against John Osman who partnered Cathy Cudmore. Despite some good rallies and attacking play from John, Emma and Gary emerged the winners.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008

Mens singles champion Anthony Hudson
Men’s singles finalist Sam Edwards

Ladies singles champion Alice Hudson
Ladies singles finalist Caroline Moule

Ladies doubles champions Emma Osman, Jo Roch
Ladies doubles finalists Jessica Fullman, Alice Hudson

Mixed doubles champions Alice and Anthony Hudson
Mixed doubles finalists Emma and John Osman

This year it was known in advance that some people would be away for Finals Day but the Committee decided to open up the competition to as many people as possible and accept the risk that some finals would be played on another day. In the event, the Mens Doubles final had to be re-scheduled but all the others were played on the 14th September as intended, a remarkably pleasant and sunny day after the dismal weather everyone has become accustomed to this year.

Three of the four finals had to be played in series as Alice Hudson had won a place in all the events open to her. The finals lasted into the late afternoon but were well supported by members of the club.

The first match to complete was the men’s singles. Sam Edwards knows Anthony well and set out to make him work as hard as possible for the Cup. Although Sam lost the first set 6-1, he fought back and initially took the lead in the second set, eventually losing 6-1, 6-4.

The ladies set up an epic 2 hour match for the doubles championship. With a final score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, Emma and Jo proved the most consistent and determined in the end, recovering from the lead that Alice and Jess had built in the third set.

The mixed doubles match had Osman and Hudson families pitched against each other. It produced the most colourful and exciting rallies of the day with both sides trading volleys and smashes to the end. The final score was 6-3, 6-4 to Alice and Anthony.

Alice Hudson stepped on court to play her third match, the Ladies Singles final, and managed to keep her play steady to the end. Caroline produced some fluent shots but couldn’t build up the constant pressure required and had to concede 6-1, 6-1.

Many congratulations to all the players and supporters for making the Finals Day such a success.

Postponed Club Championship Men's Doubles Finals played.
 
In a repeat of last years Men's Final Anthony Hudson playing with David Cotton were teamed against Richard Hole and Gary Moule.

In the first set there were trades in breaks of serve right up to 4 all, when Anthony and David again broke serve, and then held there own, to win a closely fought set.
 In the second set Richard and Gary started well and built up a 3:1 lead. They were then serving for 4:1, when Anthony and David fought strongly back, to once again break serve for 3:2. There were then holds of serve to 4 all, when Anthony and David again broke, and Anthony then served out the match.

Although there were some close games once again Anthony and David dominated the play. They emerged worthy winners 6:4 6:4.

Roehampton trip
On Thursday 19th June 2008 forty-five enthusiasts from the Wells and surrounding area climbed on board a luxury coach for a visit to the Wimbledon qualifying tournament, run at Roehampton, London. Glorious weather awaited them and a brilliant day was had, with some tremendous tennis matches, viewable at very close quarters played in a super environment. Thanks are due to the head coach at Wells, Dean Cornish and his team for arranging and promoting this opportunity. Pictured at the main scoreboard are most of the attendees.

Rain Delays affect Wells Tennis as well as Wimbledon
 
The annual Wells Tennis Club Parent and Child tournament was also subject to rain delays. Played on the same afternoon as the Wimbledon Men's Tennis Final the Wells tournament and it's associated BBQ was close to being called off when the start coincided with a particularly heavy downpour. Luckily there were some experienced weather forecasters present who did a cloud and wind survey and predicted better conditions might be on the way. And indeed they were. After a Wimbledon/F1 TV break (portable kindly loaned by Chairman Robert Powell) the courts were then smoking as the water was evaporated away by the warm sun, and play recommenced.
 
Two competitions were being expertly scheduled to run in parallel by the head coach, Dean, and his wife Lynne. There was some closely fought matches in both tournaments, with a high standard of play in evidence. The winners in the full-court competition were Dean Cornish and his daughter Jasmine. Runners-up were David Cotton playing with his daughter Erika. On the mini-courts the winners were Gary Moule, playing with his daughter Lena, who triumphed in a very close play-off (7:6) against the other family members, his wife Caroline Moule, playing with son Luke.

Mark Orme Challenge Cup 2008
Wells Tennis Club held it's first annual Senior vs Junior Challenge Cup, held in the memory of Mark Orme. This was played in a great atmosphere, originating from the lovely weather, fine play and smells from the BBQ.
 
Eight players from the Senior members of the club captained by Mary Harrington, consisted of Wendy Edwards, Emma Osman, Anne Fudge, Brian Clarke, Gary Moule, John Osman and David Cotton. They played the Junior team captained by Lynne Cornish, comprising Amy Rossiter, Yasmin Al Rumaithi, Erika Cotton, Jasmine Cornish, Sam Edwards, Seth Cunningham, Charles Parry and Edgar Garcia in a Winter League format. There were some great matches with some very close play generally not reflected in the final scores. The youngsters will certainly be causing some upsets in years to come. For this encounter the Seniors emerged victorious, winning with 18 points to zero. Thanks to all who helped make this such a pleasurable event, particularly the Chairman Robert Powell who ran the BBQ with style and the injured Margo Parsons who ran the kitchen support with vigour.