Whilst most of Herefordshire were tucked indoors away from the fierce Freya forecast for the afternoon of Sunday, March 3rd, four hardy players from Ross-on-Wye Ladies A Team and their supportive team captain were setting course for Cutnall Green.

Not deterred by a little rain and wind, the warm-up got off to a good start, until the heavens opened and dampened the proceedings.  After charging themselves with a cup of tea, normal service was resumed.

Jane Pepperell and Sarah Drake playing second pair, took on their opposite number and galloped through to win 6:3, 6:0.  In the start of their second match Jane and Sarah raced ahead 6:2.  Unfortunately they became a little unsettled in the second set, which they dropped 2:6. With all to play for, and the going gradually improving, they picked up their pace, found their previous form and managed to pull back the third set to win 7:5. 

Meanwhile, Val Davies and Brenda Saunders had a mare of a first match against Cutnall Green’s first pair and were somewhat hacked off to lose 2:6, 1:6. 

However, after a rousing talk from the Team Captain, they reined in their frustration for the second match and spurred on by the support, soon made short work of the first set of their second match winning it 0:6. Starting their second set they were a little unstable and the intensifying winds caused their game to be a little more skittish, going down 0:4. Fortunately they were able to regain their footing and mounted an impressive charge to win the next six games taking the second set and the match 6:4.

Against the odds, and more particularly the weather, Ross finished with a 3:1 win. After a reviving cup of tea and a slice of cake the somewhat damp team were homeward bound rejoicing in their success and looking forward to their last match of the season on Thursday, March 7th.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.