As keenly awaited as the first Cuckoo of Spring, last Monday saw the first matches in this year’s Enniskillen Tennis Club Spring League get under way. Sponsored by Blake’s of ‘the Hollow’ the League involves over 80 club members playing doubles and mixed doubles in a team format over the next twelve Monday and Wednesday nights with the four teams with most games won progressing to the semis at the end of March.
Monday Night
First match of the new league saw the Serving Aces captained by Moira McAdam overcome Matt Dillon’s Pool Sharks 52 games to 44. The Pool Sharks were unable to beat the handicap of playing one player short and despite battling bravely it was the Aces Captain Moira McAdam, Zumba’s loss tennis’s gain, who led the way, teaming up with young gun Conor McShea to get the better of Kevin Burns and Linda Corrigan in the mixed doubles. Moira followed this up with a tight 7-5 victory in the ladies doubles partnered by Geraldine Millar, back playing at the top of her game after three, not two Jenny, treatments on an injured arm.
Monday’s second match saw Paul Lendrum’s Perfect Pints losing a close contest 46-50 to Ollie McShea’s Chardonnays. The performance of the night saw Sandra Parker win both of her matches playing at one having played her previous league tennis at three. The first of these was a superb win over strong pairing Paul Lendrum and Leonie Madigan with Sandra and her mixed partner James Wilson coming back from 4-1 down to take the match 7-5. Another key victory for the Chardonnays saw Claude Bersot and Jennifer Kelly overcome Seamus O’Connell and the back at last Jenny Cruikshank 8-4 in the final match to give the Chardonnays the edge.
Wednesday Night
Following a torrential downpour all Wednesday afternoon the opening match was lost to flooded courts but thankfully the rain stopped in time for the second match between Iain Kennedy’s Irish Coffees and Martin Sharkey’s Level 7 to go ahead. Top performer for Level 7 was league newcomer Matthew Duffy who secured a 9-3 win in the mixed, playing with Michelle Kennedy, and an 8-4 win in the men’s playing with Martin Sharkey. Matthew gave a powerful all round performance and will be a force to be reckoned with if he can maintain this level of consistency. The youthful Sean Dillon also showed many deft touches at the net and is sure to make an impact in future league games. His father Martin, however, won both his matches, much to the chagrin of his erstwhile mentor, Allen Reynolds, who apparently taught him all he knew only to be beaten 8- 4, by Martin, in the men’s doubles, enabling the Irish Coffees to snatch a late share of the spoils.
