Norfolk Ladies 35 and over team played very well to win promotion to Group 2 over the weekend 26 -28th August at Eastbourne.
Norfolk were in a Group with Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and South Wales.
The format for the tournament is that you play each County in your group and each match consists of two singles and three doubles matches. Matches are played one after the other on the same court starting with the number two singles player and then the number one singles player and then three doubles matches.
Norfolk were without Karen Woodrow this year and on paper prior to the event it looked as if we would do well to stay in the group so the result was a truly great achievement.
The opening day on Friday was a complete washout with rain and no matches were played at all. Norfolk were due to play Buckinghamshire on this day.
On the Saturday Norfolk played Bedfordshire. Verena Rowen got the team off to a great start beating the hard hitting Carole Wilson 7/6, 6/1.Then Anna Linton, our captain played Madeleine Walker. Anna took the first set 6/3, but was then pinned back in the second and lost this 6/4 so the match went to a deciding match tie-break (first to 10 points with a lead of two) which Anna came through winning 10-8 to give Norfolk a two love lead. In the first round of doubles Katie Brooks played with Ali Finch against Belinda Borneo and Jane Sutton, two very experienced doubles players and were soon a set down 1/6, but then they gradually clawed their way back into the match and used the gusty wind to great effect and somehow held their nerve to win the second set on a tie=break. So this match went into another deciding match tie break and despite being well down in the tie break they managed to clinch in 11-9. This gave Norfolk a match winning lead of 3 -0. In the second round of doubles Anna and Verena easily beat Sophie Bassett and Jane Sutton 6/1, 6/2. Sue Rich who arrived on the Saturday then teamed up with Ali Finch to play the last doubles against Wilson and Walker. Sue and Ali were 2/4 down in the first set but then played some good doubles to come through and clinch the set 6/4. The Bedfordshire top pairing came back strongly to take the second set 6/3 but then in the deciding match tie break Sue and Ali recovered from a 2-4 deficit to eventually win 10-8. Norfolk finished the day with a 5 – 0 win.
South Wales beat Buckinghamshire by the same margin so this meant if Norfolk could beat South Wales on the last day they would be promoted.
Verena Rowan was first on court again against Kate Johnston, She found herself 2/5 down in the first set but clawed her way back to 5all and then took the set into a tie-break. The tie-break ebbed and flowed until Johnston eventually took this 9-7. Johnston then took the second set 6/2.
Captain Anna Linton was next on court against Jacqui Wingfield and she played a real captain’s match. Anna stormed off in the first set and took this 6/0 but the second was far closer and went all the way to a tie-break which Anna won 7-4 and so the match was tied after the singles.
Next on court was Sue Rich and Ali Finch and this was a doubles that Norfolk needed to win to stand a chance of taking the tie. They were up against the Welsh pair of Vicky Davies (a very good doubles player) and Alison Wood. Sue and Ali combined very well and played some good doubles to win 6/2, 6/2.
In the second round of doubles Sue and Ali then took on the singles pairing of Kate Johnston and Jacqui Wingfield. The Welsh pair were soon 5-0 up but Sue and Ali then fought hard and despite losing the first set 2-6 they competed well in the second and took this 6/4. So yet another match went to the deciding match tie-break after being well down Sue and Ali got back to 7-8 before eventually losing this 10-7.
So the promotion rested on the very last match of the day with Verena and Anna playing Vicky Davies and Alison Wood. Despite a good first set Norfolk lost this 8-6 in the tie break but again came back well in the second set to take this 6/3 – so the tie rested on the match tie break!!
Anna and Verena then both played very well at the same time and they stormed through this winning it 10-3 and with it promotion!
Well done to the whole team and there was great team spirit and excellent captaincy from Anna – Group 2 here we come!