On Saturday 16^th November, we held a Student Tournament, aiming to give new players an opportunity to play more competitive (but friendly) tennis. The dual promise of pizza to eat and Champagne to win was successful as usual, and we had 10 eager participants, with handicaps ranging from 40 to 85.

We split into three groups, and matches were played on both courts. Ehren Agarwal, Martha Jameson, and Grey Godsal were our group winners, mixing consistent serving with deft quality. As best second place players, Arthur King and Miguel Carr played a quarter final, and despite Arthur’s tricky railroads and clean striking, Miguel’s excellent returning sent him through. Now down to four players, a semi-final was played on each court. On the Blue court, Grey converted his handicap advantage to overcome Ehren, and on the Green Court, in our only level match of the day, it was a battle between strong serves, where Martha prevailed thanks to her crosscourt returns.

The final capped off the day well – Grey and Martha settled into a game of excellent rallies. Balls flew into the dedans off both rackets, and Grey’s consistency paid off, finally winning 6-2. Both players gratefully received bottles of Champagne, generously provided by Pol Roger! Many thanks to everyone who came along and played in good spirits, with particular thanks to the Giraffe Club supporting the afternoon!

Oliver Anderson-Shah, CU Men’s Captain