There are now tournaments of all kinds throughout the year, but for tennis players of all ages and abilities, there is nothing to compare to Framlingham. Yes, next week the annual pilgrimage will be made to the picturesque College grounds from all corners of the county and beyond, many competitors drawn to a venue which they’ve been coming to for many, many years. It truly is a tennis festival that offers something for all the family.
The focus of attention in the early part of the week will be on the Suffolk Closed events, with the Men’s Singles seeing British Tour winner Matt Hough going for a hat-trick of titles. Last year’s runner-up and David Lloyd colleague Ryan Lambert aims to go one better, and Tournament Chairman James Lightfoot gives his support to this prestigious event. Ten times champion Katie Tassell is unable to defend her Ladies’ title because of work commitments, leaving a great chance for top seed Kari Sherington on her home courts.
Katie and Kari were both in the Ladies squad so unluckily relegated from Group 6 at Ilkley in the Aegon Summer County Cup, three wins from five unable to save them. Matt Hough will also be a leading contender in the Men’s Open Singles, though he will need to be at his best against Cambridge stars Tom Hands and Ben Clark. Last year’s finalists from Norfolk, Maria Andrews and Madeleine Brooks head the Ladies’ list, with Newmarket’s Natalie Bacon and Kari Sherington spearheading the local challenge.
The 18U Boys’ Singles looks to be a cracking event with 40 entries, with Open hopefuls Tom Hands and Ben Clark looking set to take all the beating, together with the likes of Ben Jones, from Elmwood Lawn Tennis Club, top seed in the 16U Boys’ event. The Norfolk duo of Maria Andrews and Madeleine Brooks look to dominate the 18U Girls’ Singles, with the top seeds in the Girls’ 16U Singles Natasha Munday, from Frindsbury LTC, and Erica Izatt, of the Connaught Club.
Suffolk players look likely to make an impact in the 14U Singles, Oscar Cutting and Kareem Shah heading the Boys’ list, with David Lloyd players Georgia Harris, Harriet Petley and Hannah Stokes looking to make an impact in the Girls’ event. The Ipswich Sports Club pairing of Tom Skinner and Travis Ireland should have good weeks in the 12U Boys’ Singles, together with Haadi Shah, of Hills Road HPC. Harriet Petley flies the flag in the 12U Girls’ Singles, with an encouraging number of entries in the 10U/9U events.
The Seniors are of course an integral part of the week, and many have been playing at Fram for several years, including the evergreen Joan Hassell, who makes her 57th appearance next week ! This very special event just would not be the same without the likes of Joan, and her thoughts on the tournament will appear in next week’s column. Other names to watch out for once again are Paul Hammond, Elizabeth Cubitt, Nick and Jill Crown, Graham Birch, the three Peters, Taylor, Aldous and Brown, Sara Jermy, Diane Oakley, Charlie Fulcher, Colin Stephenson, and many, many more, too numerous to mention !
There is much more to the week than the guarantee of great tennis, of course, the tournament starting with the usual lunch on the Sunday, with some fun tennis being played in the morning and Tournament President Christine Janes sharing a number of her tennis anecdotes at the end of the meal. The usual Charity event will be held on the Tuesday evening, with Suffolk Finals Day on the Thursday seeing the Sponsors’ reception, and a Hog Roast at the conclusion of the finals. All in all, another great week for all to enjoy!!