National Fathers and Sons Championship 2018
Jan 05, 2018 - Jan 07, 2018 Leamington Ben Taylor-Matthews
Leamington Tennis Court Club was again proud to host the National Fathers & Sons, at the venue in which the tournament originated. There were some familiar faces, as well as new and absent among the field vying for the two titles on offer over the weekend. Paul & Charlie Danby were the top seeds, with Mark & Josh McMurrugh the number two pairing. Both made it through their respective semi finals with comfortable victories.
In the final, it was the number 1 seeded pair that made the early running, moving 5-0 up in the first to 8 game set. At this point, the previously error strewn McMurrughs started to cut out the errors, trying to make their opponents work harder for their points. They were able to pick on Paul a bit more and brought him into the game for longer periods, and were able to cut the gap. 1-5 became 2-5, then 3-5, and suddenly the game had completely turned on it's head, and we were locked at 6-6. At this stage, the McMurrughs took the lead for the first time, and what a time to do it! They were able to close out the match 8/6 in quite literally a game of two halves.
Mark McMurrugh has been supporting the event since 1985, and was able to get his name on the trophy for the first time, so congratulations to Mark on proving that practice does make perfect! It was also great to see the Danby's back at the club, and in particular Paul who looked fighting fit.
The handicap edition saw both the Danby's and McMurrughs make the semi finals again, only to be toppled by Marty & Harry Burn and Paul & George Johnson respectively. The latter two had been so steady all weekend, and looked destined to be in the final from an early stage. A fast and furious affair took place in the final. Very gritty, but good natured tennis was enjoyed by the crowd throughout, as the two in form pairs exchanged games, with the Johnson's able to just keep their noses in front. The Johnson's played in the event last year and didn't win a single match, but were able to complete a full turnaround, by winning the final 6/4, leaving them undefeated for the whole weekend.
The tournament was a great success, played in fantastic spirit by everybody, with just the correct amount of competitiveness and in-fighting! We hope to see everybody again next year, plus some extras!
