The Over 35s ladies team which was made up with youth (well under 40!) and experience comprised of Claire Frewer (formally Hammond), Solange Roast, Caroline Varda, Jenny King, Pat Wire and Jane Taylor.
Eastbourne, when the weather is good is a wonderful place to play tennis and we were blessed with great weather throughout the 3 days, apart from the Friday afternoon when the wind decided to make things very difficult. The sun shone and sun tan cream was very definitely needed by all. The grass courts were playing really well and for those of us who grew up playing on grass, it felt like coming home.
The first day we played Hampshire who unfortunately had only managed to get 3 players for the first day. They therefore had to forfeit two rubbers and it also meant that Solange did not have an opponent for the singles and I had to play the first match of the day which I managed to win in 2 sets. The wind picked up in the afternoon and both doubles matches went to set all and therefore the dreaded 10 point tie-break to decide the final set. Claire and Pat played really well together for their first time as a pair and managed to pull through, Solange and I just lost our tie-break 9-11.
That meant overall we had won 4-1.
The second day’s opponents were Bedfordshire where Solange took on Maddy Walker and played very aggressive tennis to win her first match convincingly. Belinda Borneo was their Number 1 singles player and I narrowly lost 6-3 6-4. With the match tied at 1-1, Pat and Claire now needed to beat their doubles pair which they did in emphatic style 6-0 6-1. As the home team that day, Pat and Claire had to go straight back on and play Belinda and Maddy and despite starting really well, Belinda’s superb volleying was just too strong for them. That left the score at 2-2 and Solange and I had to play the final match against the doubles pair. Now that the wind had dropped we played much better together and won 6-0 6-0.
Essex won 3-2
The final day was against Yorkshire who had actually lost on their first day to Bedfordshire, but had sorted out their pairings against us and played very well. We still needed to beat them to win the group. Solange just lost her singles against a very steady Becky Lee, Cath Berry was too strong for me in the other singles and Katie Charnock and Jo Davis played some lovely tennis to defeat Pat and Claire. As we had lost 3-0 we did not need to play the final doubles as it would not have affected the results. Instead we retired to what used to be called Fusciardi’s (can’t get used to the new name) to have a well deserved ice-cream!.
I was very pleased with the result of the weekend. The team were fantastic and supported each other brilliantly. A big thank you to Jane and Jenny who came,along but ended up not playing. They were super supporters, not only when we were playing but also gave support to me as Captain. The Grand Hotel looked after us well and the first time ever we even finished early enough each day to have a quick swim and Jacuzzi to ease our aching muscles before dinner.
Next year we play Devon, Hereford and Worcester and Surrey for a place in Division 1.
Here’s hoping the team, the tennis and the weather will be as fantastic next year.
Caroline Varda
Ladies Over 35's Captain