On Thursday 11 May 2023, the club were pleased to welcome our friends from Royal Wootton Bassett PC (RWB) to continue the annual friendly, but competitive, encounter that had begun last year. As for the previous match, it was agreed that the format for each leg would be two rounds of doubles and two rounds of triples, that’s 20 games per leg or 40 in total, all of which would be timed. Our team comprised:
Roger Griffin, Bernard Adshead, Vickie Adshead, Roger Green, Gill Clark, Ash Seath, Beryl McCarthy, Ian McCarthy, Len Christian, Carol Maroney, John Maroney, Frances Ralph & Robin Ralph.
After a very warm welcome from Roger Griffin to Alan McInnes and his team, and having enjoyed coffee and a tray of sausage rolls, we started the first round of doubles.
The pistes were rock hard and proved to be difficult for everyone, including the Monkstone (MPC) players, to get to grips with. After some good play, however, MPC managed to emerge from the first round with a lead of 5-1 in games, with a points difference of 74-42.
On to the 2nd round and RWB showed that they were settling to our pistes and achieved a 3-3 tie and a points difference of 53-54 in their favour.
Doubles Scores: MPC 8 [126] – 4 [95] RWB
We then broke for an excellent lunch, catered by Joy Giffin & Pauline Seath, and a swift half. In the afternoon the first round of triples got underway and MPC recovered some of the momentum from the 1st round of doubles taking this round by 3-1 in games, with a points difference of 46-36.
MPC were hoping for a similar or better result in the 2nd round of triples to give them a comfortable lead to take to RWB in 2 weeks as we had lost there last year before winning in Cardiff and the match overll. RWB were determined to stop us and with some smart play managed to tie the round at 2-2 with a points difference of 42-37 in their favour.
Triples Scores: MPC 5 [83] – 3 [78] RWB
So MPC had won the day with a slender lead of only 6 games in 20. Will this be enough to take the overall match after the 2nd leg at RWB on 25 May 2023? Time will tell!
First Leg Final Scores: MPC 13 [209] – 7 [173] RWB
All the adieux were said, but not before Alan McInnes presented MPC with a RWB pennant.
Score Sheet
