* Over 60 Amateur Singles and Doubles Championship (Kershaw Cup/Thomas Trophy) 2022
Mar 11, 2022 - Mar 13, 2022 Manchester J Bebb
William Maltby beat Martin Richards in the final
William Maltby was on duty in the Over 60s amateur singles and doubles event. William was well prepared for the event with lots of training at Wellington and that paid off. William didn’t drop a set to reach the final and took on left hander Martin Richards from Hatfield who has a devasting forehand force! William was well prepared for the volley to be well and truly tested and it stood up to the challenge and William won a very tight match to lift the Kershaw Cup - Amateur Over 60s singles title.
Kershaw Cup & Thomas Trophy Report
Two years after the previous event, competitors returned to Manchester to engage in the 2022 - the National Over-60s tournament level singles and handicap doubles - version.
A couple of late withdrawals from the Kershaw did not dampen the ardour and enthusiasm with which those gathered engaged in proceedings. The early rounds went to form, with the holder, William Maltby, readjusting to the Manchester court with some ease, and dropping only 2 games (both in his first round) on his way to the final. There was a close match involving Geoffrey Russell and Patrick Lawrence which went to a deciding set and a nip-and-tuck semi final between Martin Richards and Geoffrey Russell, with the former prevailing 6/4 6/5.
The final was a repeat of that in 2020. Then, William was perturbed by the unexpected ferocity of Martin’s forcing play and only prevailed in a very close match which could have gone either way in the first set. This time, he was ready for the onslaught and prevailed relatively comfortably 6/4 6/2.
Results:
Q/final
William Maltby v Jamie Bebb 6/1 6/1
Nick Jeffery v Simon Talbot-Williams 6/3 6/3
Geoffrey Russell v Patrick Lawrence 6/2 3/6 6/2
Martin Richards v Sue Haswell 6/3 6/3
S/final
Maltby v Jeffery 6/0 6/0
Richards v Russell 6/4 6/5
Final
Maltby v Richards 6/4 6/2
The B singles was won by a resurgent Paul Butler who defeated Ronald Paterson 6/2.
The Thomas Trophy has never been successfully defended. The holders, Johns Mortimer & Oliviero, were trying to buck the trend. The quality of tennis in the knockout stages was remarkably high - remarkable when you consider that nearly all participants had enjoyed an excellent MTRC dinner on Saturday evening, Noman Hyde insisting that tradition should be maintained and the port should flow.
Simon Johnston & Tony Harrison had to survive a 4-all 40-all q/final match against Jamie Bebb & Ronald Paterson to progress but the best s/final match was the two Johns beating Patrick Lawrence & Nick Jeffery 6/5. In the final, Simon & Tony, having honed their team skills to a high level at Jesmond Dene, were too steady and beat the two Johns 6/3 in a noisy final. History was not to be made.
Results:
Q/final
Patrick Lawrence/Nick Jeffery v Mike Seymour/Robin Barlow 5/3
John Oliviero/John Mortimer v Martin Farnworth/Fiona Harrison 5/2
Simon Johnston/Tony Harrison v Jamie Bebb/Ronald Paterson 5/4
Simon Talbot-Williams/Sue Haswell v Simon Armstrong/Mel Harding 5/3
S/final
Oliviero/Mortimer v Lawrence/Jeffery 6/5
Johnston/Harrison v Talbot-Williams/Haswell 6/4
Final
Johnston/Harrison v Oliviero/Mortimer 6/3
All matches were marked and controlled by a new combination of professionals. In Darren Long's absence, a guest marker, Tom Granville came up from Moreton Morrell to join our own Steve Brockenshaw and they did, of course, a cracking job. Finally, all thanks, as ever, to Stella and her team who kept competitors fed and watered to a very high standard as always.
