Ross Tennis Centre Ladies ’B’ travelled to Ledbury to play their first match of the season in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Winter League Division 4 West.

Sandy Foulkes and Lynn O’Driscoll, playing first pair, got off to a great start against the Ledbury first pair, winning the opening set 6-0 in only a matter of minutes. With the Ross pair led into a false sense of security, the Ledbury couple started their fightback. It completely took Ross by surprise and they found themselves five games down, 0-5.

However, Ross dug their heels in and managed to hold their nerve to win the next four games, making the score 4-5. With hopes of continuing their winning streak, they battled on, however they had too much of a task on their hands and lost the set 4:6.

The third set was a real tussle with lots of long rallies but Sandy and Lynn won through winning the final set 6-3. The first set of their match against the Ledbury second pair resulted in the same convincing 6-0 lead. In the second set, the Ledbury pair had renewed energy and that set ended with a tie break at six games all which Sandy and Lynn won 7-3.

Bridget Hiram and Ginny Higgins played their first match against the Ledbury second pair which was quite competitive and the Ross pair were able to control most of the games and took the first set 6-0. The overnight rain had made the surface of the court greasy, so had the court been used to its full extent, it would have been hard to get to all the balls. As a result, the rallies were not extended. The second set was closer but Ross took it 6-2. The third rubber secured it for Ross.

Their second match, this time against the first pair, was a much tighter three set encounter with some good rallies won by winning shots, rather than errors. The first two sets were shared and the third set was finally won by Ross after a tight finish when Ledbury recovered from 4-1 down to 4-4. Bridget and Ginny buckled down and took the last 2 games. An excellent four rubber win for Ross

The hosts provided a lovely tea and the match was thoroughly enjoyed by all.