The Ross Ladies A Tennis team travelled to Worcester for a 6.30pm match on April 30th – the first of the summer season in Division 3 West, and were delighted with their 4-2 win.

Playing first pair, Brenda Saunders and Val Davies took on the first pair of Worcester. Ross were slow to start, perhaps because of the unfamiliar court surface and they went 1-3 down. However, they focused and managed to level the first set four all, which gave them a boost.

They then took the first set to a tie-break and won it 7-6. Just one service break was the difference in the second set which ended 6-4.

Meanwhile, second pair Sarah Drake and Gaynor Raine took on the third couple and, with a galaxy of wonderful forehands and volleys, made short work of the match, winning 6-2, 6-4.

Third pair, and playing for the first time together, Jane Pepperell and Sandy Foulkes, lined up against the second Worcester couple. They lost the first set 1-6, and then pulled out the stops and took the second set 6-3.

The crunch came in the third set which sadly went the Worcester pairs’ way. Going into the second rubber Ross were 2-1 up.

Brenda and Val were determined not to repeat the form in the first rubber, so took the second pair 6-2, 6-4 with a bounty of wonderful smashes and volleys.

Sarah and Gaynor competed well against the first pair with some sweet forehand rallies from Gaynor. Sadly, they couldn’t quite see a way through and were beaten 2-6, 4-6. Meanwhile on court three, Jane and Sandy had a marathon first set against their third pair, and won the tiebreak.

Everyone else was in the club-house having lovely cups of tea while Jane and Sandy played on under the floodlights until 9.50pm when they took the second set 6-3. A 4-2 win for the ladies was the cause of much celebration.

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