rackets Fixture

Public Schools Singles Championships 2007

Public Schools Singles Championships

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Full Report

Harrovian, Sam Northeast the no1 seed for the Foster Cup, staged a remarkable comeback in the final after going 2 games to 0 down against the no2 seed Dan Shiner from Cheltenham. Shiner, a year younger, played the best rackets of the tournament in the first game, keeping Northeast at the back of the court with an excellent demonstration of serving and sliding the ball to a length. Northeast was unable to establish any rhythm, whilst Shiner's service aces, particularly from the backhand court, ensured a 15-5, 15-6 and 6-2 lead in the third game. After some excellent rallying during this crucial third game, however, Northeast started to dominate the court hitting the angles, and finding a better length with his serve. Shiner, from 6-8 down, was always playing catch-up, and Northeast served to a 15-8 game. The fourth game followed a similar pattern, and at 2-2, Shiner recaptured his serve to take a 5-2 lead, but Northeast's determination was palpable, and once in the service box, refused to let Shiner gain any momentum € 15-6 to Northeast. For the second year in a row, the Foster Cup final went to the fifth and deciding game: Northeast, runner-up last year, was determined not to let the title slip again, and he rushed to a 10-0 lead; after just one service ace from Shiner, Northeast regained the dominance and won the fifth 15-1. Literally, a game of two halves.

Luc Durandt, the Wellingtonian second seed, won the Renny Cup 3-1 defeating the no1 seed James Sheppard from Malvern. In a close match with plenty of long rallies, Sheppard secured the first game 15-12 after Durandt hit a relatively straightforward chance to take the first game to set, into the tin. Sheppard raced to an 8-3 and 9-3 lead in games two and three respectively, but Durandt stayed calm and kept finding the angles which meant that Sheppard's hard-hitting became less potent. Durandt secured both 15-11. The fourth game, in many ways the best of the match, saw Durandt reach a 12-8 lead. Sheppard rallied and served well to reach 12-14, but then double faulted, and Durandt secured the cup with his third match point, and provided Wellington with their second title of the week.

Wyckhamist, Christian Portz, the keenly-fancied no1 seed in the Incledon-Webber U16 trophy, took little more than half an hour to defeat Ed Kay of St.Paul's, 15-3, 15-2, 15-7. Portz's kills off the back wall were deadly, and Kay, who when in the service box, mixed his serve up nicely, was unable to find an answer to Portz's weight of shot. The Pauline rallied well at times, particularly in the third game, but Portz was always in control, and added the U16 title to last year's U15 title. He will be very much a force at the open age group next year.

Nick Hopcroft, the no1 seed from Wellington, won the Jim dear U15 Trophy at Queen's Club without dropping a game. In a fairly one-sided encounter, he beat Tom Billings of Haileybury 15-9, 15-2 with a fine demonstration of serving and hitting to a length. Billings the no3 seed had played well to defeat the no2 seed, Richard Owen of Cheltenham, but could not match Hopcroft's reading of the game and agility around the court, much of which has been gained from playing regularly in Wellington's first pair.