Our second friendly match of the season was a return fixture at home to Lymington, with eight players per team this time, as opposed to just four at Lymington’s single court at The Woodside. We had to shorten four games because of time constraints and the closeness of play, but overall were able to finish in good time. There was no need for handicaps, as the combined handicaps of the two sides were absolutely level, and, in the event, the day finished with a score of six games each.
Many thanks to Brian Davies, Carol Reed, Alan Smith, Mike Tomkins, Mary Aldous, Tony Cumes and Jane Tivey for their contributions to an afternoon enjoyed by all, and especially thanks to Sheila Davies for preparing the tea.
Our first ever match against Test Valley CC – a friendly singles handicap event – turned out to be a sobering experience, with Test Valley winning by 10 games to 2. On a rather bare set of courts still recovering from weedkiller, the games were a little closer than the score suggests, but a valuable experience on a steep-looking learning curve. We go again on our own turf in a return match on 15th July.