At last. A tournament that ran (more or less) according to schedule. Three closely contested round robin groups and proper semi-finals that were marred only by an injury to Paul Brown, but who still managed to complete a short set.

The day culminated in a fascinating final that contrasted the power game of Chris Schramm with the considered floor shots of Nick Chrimes. Nick faced an early barrage of service returns that tested the dedans netting, his strings and the form book. But slowly and assuredly Nick began to take control. The tambour became his best mate, his tighter serving now restricted the frequency of the Schramm exocets and his volleying became attacking and penetrating rather than defensive.

Congratulations to Nick and commiserations to all who took part (this lot had even organised food!)

Thanks to John Trapp for marking the latter stages. At the end of a long day all players enjoy being able to concentrate on hitting rather than thinking. I was asked to be sure to mention the excellence of Trappy’s marking but I can’t recall who made the point…..err..oh, yes I remember now. It was him.