Players in the photo left to right: Dino Skeete, Phil Lynch, Simon Gent (Captain), Peter Elsden and Colin Coombes.
Kent’s seven men’s Vets teams, 45-75, are all well into their seasons, with some strong performances behind them.
Cocks of the walk are Dominic Wood’s 50s : he and David Bulgin have yet to drop a rubber in the victories 5-0 against Sussex and Bucks, 3-2 against last year’s finalists Cheshire. With just five teams in their section, they have every chance of beating Warwickshire on 9 September and moving on to their final at Dudley on 4 November.
Building formidably too are Gary Sims’ 65s, with 5-0 wins over Suffolk and Lancashire and three to play.
Our youngsters, the 45s (pictured), are touring the rustic byeways of England, beating Avon and Gloucestershire 3-2 but falling narrowly to a Dorset team led by GB international Matt Coombes. Wins against Norfolk (away) and Devon (at Canterbury) are likely to be needed to recover Division 1 status.
Battling away are the 55s, 60s and 70s. Rob Andrew’s 55s have specialised in tight matches, 3-2 a good win over Cheshire, 2-3 narrow defeats against Lancashire and Buckinghamshire. One walkover helps their prospects, and Jonathan Potter’s 60s have had the same benefit, but will still need to win their last match, away to Cumbria, to be secure.
As for the two oldest teams, the 70s, their season complete, should finish 4th out of 6, with 2 wins, 11 rubbers. Particular congratulations to Bob Milner on being made GB 75s team captain for the World Team event in Croatia in September, and Paul Drane maintains his place in the GB 80s team, besides leading Kent 75s to two wins in three matches so far, beating Essex and Lancashire whilst losing to Herts.
Across their 35 year span, Kent men are displaying their tennis skills and tenacity. Long may the Kent horse remain rampant !
Stephen Woodley