Having captained the Suffolk Ladies’ team to comprehensive victory in the Aegon Summer County Cup at Felixstowe, Katie Tassell now turns her attention to winning her 10th Closed Singles title at 119th Framlingham Tournament next week. Another magnificent total of 383 players of all abilities and ages will be making the annual pilgrimage to Framlingham College, the Closed Singles and Doubles events scheduled to run from Monday to Thursday as usual.
Katie’s nearest rivals look likely to be Kari Sherington, last year’s runner-up, who failed to lose a set in the recent County Cup, and previous winner and doubles partner Louise Rogers. Matt Hough too looks to defend his Closed Singles title, and must have a great chance with both Jeremy Cowley and Myles Orton unavailable. Hough’s Sports Club colleague Ryan Lambert is the top-seeded player in fact, with Josh Towers and Rod Valentine at 3 and 4.
Hough and Lambert will be on a real high, having been members of the Suffolk Men’s County Week squad that played magnificently at Havant to retain their status in the lofty heights of Division Two for the 2nd year running, and this without Ashley Watling available and both captain Jeremy Cowley and Myles Orton unable to play on the last 2 days. Suffolk finished a superb 3rd with wins over Cheshire (8-1), Derbyshire (6-3) and Leicesterhire (5-4), and defeats to Lancashire (4-5) and the champions Hampshire + the IOW (0-6).
The Sports Club also provide the favourite in the Men’s Open Singles in the guise of Robert Camplin, with Thomas Perry (Westcliff), Rohan Abel (Sports Club) and Joseph Matta (Culford) the other fancied competitors. Maria Andrews heads the list in the Open Ladies’ Singles, though will be hoping to go one better against her East Anglia Tennis colleague and 2012 champion Samantha Noble and 2nd favourite Carys Gilbert, from Hutton + Shenfield. Hannah Vickers, based at the Essex Golf + Country Club, leads the home challenge.
Referee Steve Pilcher has no less than 51 events to complete, with the Girls + Boys’ Doubles 10U not being held, but 3 new events in the Boys’ and Girls’ 8U and 9U Singles and the Men’s and Ladies’ Over 30 Doubles. Steve will be hoping for a dry week as he schedules over 800 matches, which tops the number being played annually at Wimbledon. The Seniors and the Juniors are an integral part of this fabulous festival of tennis, and all players will surely be hoping that the week is a little cooler than the current, overbearing heatwave !
In the high-quality Junior event, look out for Maddie McLoughlin in the Girls’ 9U, Maddie having recently won her first national title at a Grade 2 event in Bath, and one of Suffolk’s genuine prospects for the future. The county will be looking to the talented trio of Noah Cutting, Ross Spinner + Travis Ireland in the 12U Boy’s Singles, with both Harriet Petley + Kylie Bilchev likely to make an impression in the 12U Girls’ event. James Caddies from Clearview tops the bumper entry of 40 in the Boys’ 14U Singles, with the home challenge led by William Cooke Wharton, Oscar Cutting and Jonathan Simmonds.
There is also a very healthy entry of 39 in the 16U Boys’ Singles, with a real chance of home success with the likes of Ben Jones, Max Darrington, William Cooke-Wharton, Toby Cutting + Jared Bones. The 18U Boys’ event is littered with great players, including Ryan Lambert, Robert Camplin, James Ling, Rohan Abel, Max Darrington, Ben Jones and Toby Cutting, and it’s hard to pick a winner out of such a talented group like that ! Should be well worth watching…
Sproughton’s evergreen Joan Hassell appears at Framlingham again, playing with Jill Crown in the 50.Over Ladies’ Doubles, and there will be the usual crop of “veterans” to watch during the week. Keith Palmer is top seed in the 65.Over Men’s Singles, with both Mark Nicholls and Peter Taylor looking set to make an impact in the 55.Over Men’s competition. Whoever the winners and losers, the underlying fact is that nearly 400 tennis players ranging from 7 years old to seventy years old will have another enjoyable and competitive week’s tennis to remember, hopefully inspired by that magnificent victory of Andy Murray !