Sunday 20th September was our Club Finals Day, and what a set of finals it was! With four three-set matches and a finish at around 10pm, it was certainly one of our latest Finals Days ever.
The action got underway at 1pm, with the Ladies Singles, Men’s Singles and Men’s 55+ Consolation finals all going the distance over three sets. There had also been an earlier Ladies Singles Consolation match, with Jacquie Chester beating Ollie Fentum 6-1, 6-0.
Ladies Singles
The Ladies Singles final took centre stage on our show court, with one of our County Junior Girls, Kiara Byles, taking on Rachel Taylor.
Kiara had faced a tough route to the final, beating last year's champion and runner-up in the earlier rounds. Rachel was another tough opponent, making for an excellent match of tennis.
Kiara eventually came through after a hard-fought three sets, winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to become our Ladies Singles champion.
Men’s Singles
Over on Court 1, the Men’s Singles final saw two-time runner-up Sam Vassallo take on our 2024 champion Dan Rippon, in a repeat of the final from that year.
This time it was Sam who came out on top, winning another closely fought contest 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 to claim the title.
Mens 55+ Singles Consolation
The Men’s 55+ Consolation was the longest match of the opening round, with Adrian Draffin taking on Simon Lloyd-Jenkins. Three long sets followed, with Adrian eventually winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
With the three-set matches putting us behind schedule, it was on to the doubles!
Men’s Doubles
The Men’s Doubles final featured Gavin Burrows and Dan Rippon against George Spanswick and Richard Stevenson.
Gavin and Dan took the first set 6-2, but the second was much tighter. They eventually edged it 7-6 to win 6-2, 7-6 and take the title in straight sets.
Ladies Doubles
Over on Court 1, another epic match was unfolding in the Ladies Doubles. Multi-year champions Rachel Speight and Emma Pattinson took on Rachel Taylor and Jacquie Chester.
Emma and Rachel looked to be in control after taking the first set 6-3 and moving into a 5-2 lead in the second. But Rachel and Jacquie fought back brilliantly to take the second set 7-6.
The deciding set was just as tight, with long rallies and close games throughout. Eventually, Rachel Taylor and Jacquie Chester came through 7-5 to take the title.
Men’s Doubles Consolation
The Men’s Doubles Consolation also took place during this round, with Adrian Draffin and Rob Thompson taking on Mark O'Donnell and Jon Stones. Mark and Jon won 6-2, 7-6.
Mixed Doubles – Under the Floodlights
By the time the Mixed Doubles finals got underway, darkness had fallen and the floodlights were shining brightly across the courts.
The BBQ was also in full swing, with food being served throughout the evening, cooked by Andy Speight.
The Mixed Doubles final featured Gavin Burrows and Rachel Speight against Tom Gordon and Heather Bates. Two closely fought sets followed, with some excellent tennis from both pairs. As with so many of the matches throughout the day, it could have gone either way, but it was Tom and Heather who eventually took the honours 7-6, 7-5.
Mixed Doubles Consolation
Over on Court 1, the Mixed Doubles Consolation was a little quicker, with Connor Cummings and Rachel Taylor beating Simon Lloyd-Jenkins and Laura Lloyd-Jenkins 6-1, 6-0.
Other Finals
There were also a few walkovers on the day. Connor Cummings won the Men’s Singles Consolation, Maggie and Laura took the Ladies Doubles Consolation, and Mark O'Donnell won the Men’s 55+ Singles.
A Fantastic Finals Day
With matches running throughout the afternoon and evening, the final ball wasn't struck until around 10pm – making it one of our latest Finals Days ever!
A huge congratulations to all of our finalists, and especially to all of our champions. There was some fantastic tennis throughout the day, with plenty of close matches, comebacks, long rallies and, above all, a great atmosphere around the club.
A big thank you to Andy Speight, who did a huge amount of the organising throughout the tournament, including keeping the results up to date and chasing matches to keep everything moving.
Thank you also to Gavin Burrows for organising Finals Day itself, and to the rest of the Match and Tournament Committee for their support and help with the various decisions throughout the tournament.
And of course, thank you to everyone who helped out behind the bar, with the BBQ, supported the players, watched from the balcony and courtside, or simply stayed into the evening to enjoy the action. Your help and support helped make it such a fantastic day for the club.
Well done to everyone who took part, and congratulations to all our 2026 Club Champions!