Warwickshire Ladies O70s Battle Hard Indoors Against Shropshire

Written by Caroline Rhodes, Team Captain

Warwickshire Ladies O70s Team

We are advised to book courts out for county matches for four hours. Today, because of the weather, we played at Warwick University Indoor Tennis Centre and needed almost every minute of those four hours!

Sue Ayres and Jackie Sadler paired up against Jane Williams and Gill Snodgrass. There were many incredible rallies but the opposition's pinpoint lobbing from even the deepest of balls was frustrating and it was particularly difficult to put the ball away on the indoor surface. They eventually succumbed 3-6,3-6.

Meanwhile Chris Clewer and Caroline Rhodes got off to a slow start adapting to the surface. The first set disappeared 1-6 but they then sped to a 4-1 lead in the second set before Jane Brown and Celia Toogood regrouped with more pinpoint lobbing and took the set, 5-7.

The return rubbers were more of the same with Chris and Caroline again forging a lead but losing 4-6, 4-6. A delightful repeated short inside out forehand from Gill Snodgrass to the backhand court was probably the deciding factor, in addition to those annoying lobs.

Sue and Jackie were also slow off the mark against Celia and Jane and lost the first six games. They then went 5-1 up but were pegged back again and again and lost the second set 6-7.

A 4-0 loss with no sets really doesn’t do credit to the fight our team put up, but that is tennis! Thanks to the team again for turning out for a second match in quick succession as injury decimated our squad.