Kent Men vs The All England Club at Wimbledon
The sun rose over SW19 as the Kent men’s team rolled in to the greatest tennis arena in the world to take on the might of the All England Club’s considerable playing power. With many of the Kent regulars already being members of Wimbledon captain Burgoyne stretched the net to both new players and old to make up the line up for the day.
Pair 1
Andy Burgoyne- Perk of the job Captain selects himself for the best fixtures!
And
Austen Brice- Legend of the 2004 County Cup winning team, been out with injuries almost ever since and is now back!
Pair 2
Alastair Filmer- Kent first team regular with the quickest hands in the garden of England!
And
Joe Edwards- Kent Debut for baseline hero
Pair 3
Paul Cook and Angus McCall- Both players earned the right to be in the team by being the best pair in the Under 18 event in Bath in March, well done boys, now men’s level!
With AELTC putting out a very strong team Kent were up against it and in round 1 with only Burgoyne and Brice getting a win, first blood Wimbledon 2-1. With the weather being very cold and windy the player and supporters headed for the covered courts for round 2. A very competitive round, but the All England were too strong again taking a 4-2 lead with Filmer and Edwards winning the only rubber of the round. Kent now needed a clean sweep in round three for the win which looked unlikely, but you never know. Five minutes in and we did know as Angus sadly fell victim to an injury giving Wimbledon and winning 5-2 lead. With only Kent pride at stake and the Knowledge that after this round we would be furnished with a fantastic cream tea in the clubhouse pairs 1 and 2 battled on although pair 1 did end up losing we did start to see some of the Brice magic coming back in his comeback match. Meanwhile Edwards and Filmer sealed their status as Kent’s pair of the day by winning a tight third set super tiebreak.
Wimbledon wins 6-3
Overall it was of course disappointing to lose, but to play at Wimbledon is so special and it was great having the opportunity to compete at SW19. Hopefully the Kent men’s team will get the services of Paul Cook and Angus McCall in the years to come and who knows, maybe even a recall for Edwards or even an Austen Brice comeback at County week, who knows, but one thing is for sure- It was a day to remember for everyone involved.
Huge thank you to everyone at the All England for letting us have the fixture and we look forward to our next opportunity to take on the might of Wimbledon.
Captain Burgoyne