SURREY LADIES REPORT FOR COUNTY WEEK 2014
Having been relegated last year we were on a mission to return straight back to division 1, I’d had a full team for several months but unfortunately then had 3 people drop out in the 10 days prior to the event, many thanks to those who stepped into the frame at short notice.
Based at The Avenue Club, Havant (Hampshire) this year, a very pretty and personally run club with 10 immaculate grass courts we set to our job, we went with 9 players, knowing we only had Lana Rush until Wednesday but had Cath Gunn as our 10th on call if needed.
Day 1 we played Berkshire in glorious weather and got an early awakening when Laura Peterzan & Tash Starling immediately went a set down 0/6! , thankfully they turned it around and we took the opening 3 rubbers. The 2nd round of matches saw us at 5/5 or 6/6 all on all 3 courts with cousins Mel South & Charlotte Pearce winning a tough match 7/5, 7/6 against their opposite number & Jazz Asghar & Lana Rush pulled through 7/5, 7/5 and Laura & Tash winning also in 2...so seriously tough matches and somehow we were 6/0 in the tie...phew a win on the 1st day, with the win 1 pair under our belt Laura & Tash won another 3 setter, Mel now playing with Emily Gibbens won a tie break first and then took control, Jazz & Lana lost a tough match to their 1st’s...we came off court about 7.30 pm showing just how close the matches were!
Day 2 and playing Norfolk on courts where there was next to no shade for players or spectators, we found ourselves in 3 set matches on all 3 courts, Mel & Charlotte battled from a set down to win, unfortunately Laura & Tash were up against it but a valiant effort against the 1st’s and their 3rd’s got the better of Jazz & Christa 6/4 in 3rd, therefore finding ourselves 1/2 down....in came the emergency supplies of Percy Pigs, now a necessity of our county exploits! With temperatures souring Laura & Tash went a set down again, Jazz & Christa won the 1st but were behind in the 2nd and Mel & Charlotte came through a tough 1st set but the tie very much hanging in the balance, they won the 2nd set 7/5 so 2 a piece, Laura & Tash slowly clawed their way back and eventually won 7/5 in 3rd and Jazz & Christa likewise 6/2 in the decider...amazingly we were somehow 4/2 up! Laura & Tash in another 3 set tussle, Mel now with Natalie Haden-Scott beat the 3rd’s so a 5/2 win! Jazz & Christa having lost to the 3rd’s but beaten the 2nd pair then duly beat the 1st’s too and Laura & Tash came through in 3...again!..7/2 on paper was very misleading, with us winning 4/6 of the 3 setters it could have been a very different outcome and as you can imagine another very late finish!
Day 3 Hants & IOW..another blazing day, Jazz & Christa lost a long 3 setter to their opposites, our 2nd’s lost to their 1st’s and Mel playing with Natalie again as Charlotte was resting a sore shoulder beat the 2nd pair from a set down!..so 1/2 down again.. Mel and Nat beat the 1st’s , Jazz & Christa lost a close match to 2nd’s and Tash with Lana today put in an enormous effort but were pipped at the post after having had 4 match points then saving 3 match points in an epic 3rd set..so close to being 3/3 but 2/4 down we were...with our 3rd’s to play their 1st’s it was a big ask but hey they beat the 1st’s yesterday...all is not lost yet!! I chose not to put in our sub for the day, they’d dug their hole they deserved the chance to get out of it! A member of our team said to Jazz to hit everything as hard as she possibly could at the 1st’s, (anyone who knows Jazz would know that is like sending a bull into a china shop!!) well it seemed to be working, having lost 3 set points at 6/3 in the tiebreak we did eventually win the set...anyone watching it was very entertaining tennis and on the show court and I think them winning that 1st set lifted everyone’s spirits, Tash & Lana responded to their earlier loss with a great win over the 2nd’s, Jazz & Christa went on to win the 2nd set with an amazing display of tennis and with matches now tied at 4 apiece Mel & Nat were a set up and in a tight 2nd set...yes match point to us!...not to be and Hants won the tie break & 2nd set...hearts hit the floor again....though Mel had decided to show them who was boss and played a fantastic and must have been a near perfect set with Nat playing solidly doing everything asked of her too...making every return etc and Surrey took it 6/0...and with it 5/4 win to Surrey that had surely never been in doubt!...an amazing effort from all the girls on and off the court....I personally felt like I’d been on every rollercoaster ride there is on the south coast!!
Day 4 ..playing Yorkshire, we went 2/1 up, then 3/1, 4/1 and therefore on the brink of guaranteed promotion, Laura & Tash involved in another long match duly obliged 7/6 6/4 and good reason for the Surrey girls to celebrate, Yorkshire though with the realisation that their chances of avoiding relegation were diminishing depending on results in other ties as the group scores were so close..all the counties were so much stronger that certainly I’d envisaged before the event. Our 3rd’s lost to their 1st’s which was acceptable after yesterday’s Houdini act, Mel & Charlotte and Laura & Tash both won in straight sets resulting in a 7/2 win and an early finish which the girls made full use of in the hotel pool and Jacuzzi...which were priceless throughout the week, it was a gruelling week tennis wise and in that heat.
Last day v Lancashire..also promoted so a straight shoot out to see who tops the group and with Mel South on for 15/ 15 rubbers...which is no mean feat at county week and her already 12/12 had been extremely hard earnt!. With Charlotte’s shoulder still not great Mel teamed up with Jazz and beat the Lancs 2nd pair 0 & 0!!, unfortunately we lost the other 2 matches so found ourselves in the now familiar position of 1/2 down after 1st round, Mel & Jazz convincingly beat the 1st’s , so 2 apiece and Nat with Emily today were in a very close 3 setter alongside Laura & Tash next door....who were involved in a very topsy turvy tie break eventually winning it on their 3 rd match point, Nat & Emily were battling really hard and with thunder, lightning and the wind whipping up around them did seriously well to take it 7/5..so 4/2 up! The rain stopped after a short while but the Lancs captain said they’d have to concede a rubber due to injury and therefore forfeit the tie, I politely pointed out that Mel was now on 14/14 and would really want to play her remaining match to try to get her 15, I suggested that they could go on court play a few points and retire which would at least give Mel her 15...they were handing us the match anyway so no odds to them really, their mind sets were already in their cars for their drive home and not interested at all, which I have to say was rather disappointing and I think if it had been the other way around I would have insisted that ‘my’ girls took to the court for a few points, I actually think they would have done so unprompted!. We all feel as if Mel got her 15 (would have played the Lancs 3’s in last match!) and think it should be pointed out that she played with 4 different partners too in doing so, we all had a fantastic week, Havant club did us very well but it will nice to be back in group 1 next year...likewise for the winter cup this year after numerous years.
Thank you so much to all the Surrey councillors, family and friends who came to watch, I’m sure the support got us through some of those tough 3 setters (of which we won 10/14) also the plentiful bags of Percy Pigs, extremely well done to all the team and here’s to next year at Eastbourne.
Many thanks
Mandy Spicer