The Ross-on-Wye Ladies A team travelled to Stourbridge for their first match of the winter season on Sunday, November 20th.

Sarah Drake and Val Davies, playing as first pair, got underway against the Stourbridge first pair. They quickly realised that the barrage of cross court line balls would be testing.

They lost the first set 3-6, but then Sarah’s suggestion, halfway into the second set, to switch to the Aussie formation, proved to be advantageous to the Ross pair. However it was too late, and they succumbed 3-6.

Meanwhile, on the next court, Gaynor Raine and a new recruit to the team, Sandra Faulkes, playing together for the first time in a match took the first set to the wire. But sadly lost in the tiebreak.

The second set though strongly fought, with lots of long rallies also went Stourbridge’s way, 4-6.

After a cuppa and a team talk, the Ross foursome went out to do battle again, this time with the floodlights on.

Sarah and Val fought valiantly to a tiebreak in the first set but unfortunately lost it. The second set again saw some wonderful rallies but the pair let slip a lead in the tiebreak, finishing 6-7, 6-7, which was very disappointing.

Gaynor and Sandy seemed to be making headway against the first pair, but were unable to convert the many deuces they achieved, and finished 2-6, 3-6.

The girls had plenty of time to discuss a frustrating day on the long journey home, but playing together for the first time on an unfamiliar surface, they didn’t do badly at all.