Home advantage helps Phyllis Court sides keep national treble hopes alive

PHYLLIS Court’s teams, who were already enjoying their collective best season ever, strengthened that position with more success this week.

The Henley club now has one team in the Federations Shield Handicap National final and two more teams in semi-finals of the National Inter-Club Tier 1 and 3 competitions and could yet achieve a unique treble.

On Friday of last week Phyllis Court’s B team scored a 6-1 victory against visitors Bromley to reach the National Final of the Federations Shield Handicap (Advantage) competition and, in doing so, avenged the defeat suffered by their own A team at the hands of Bromley in the previous round.

Heavy overnight rain returned for the first hour of play and in enough abundance to cause concern for the completing of the fixture, but its mid-morning easing settled the nerves on that score. Phyllis Court got off to a good start with captain Raghu Iyer and Dee McKibbin winning their morning singles 5-7, 4-4, 7-6 and 7-1, 7-5 respectively.

Quite a while afterwards, Helen Essa and Rob Eagle won their doubles rubber as well, in a closely fought affair, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 to put Phyllis Court in the commanding position of needing just one of the four afternoon singles matches to clinch the team win.

Bromley were not done and took all four matches to third and deciding games and kept Phyllis Court honest when they won the first games in two of the rubbers.

Essa had an easy first game win 7-1 but an impressive comeback by Bromley captain Karen Newbould kept her side in the fixture just, 7-1, 4-7, 6-7.

However, wins for Iyer, 7-4, 6-7, 7-1, McKibbin 3-7, 7-4, 7-6 and Eagle 6-7, 7-6, 7-1 sealed Phyllis Court’s victory with aplomb win a resounding 6-1 scoreline.

Phyllis Court will contest the national final versus the winner of the other semi-final between Colchester and Cumbrian club Crake Valley.

Phyllis Court enjoyed an earlier success on the national stage last week when Eagle and Essa were also in the Club’s Inter-Club Championship Bowl (tier 3) team that won their quarter-final 4-3 against neighbouring visitors Caversham.

Eagle teamed up with captain Alastair Broom to make short work of the morning doubles rubber with a 7-2, 7-4 win over Brian Jamison and Neil George.

Caversham’s Charles Briggs pulled one back for the visitors with a 7-4, 6-7, 5-7 defeat of Essa, but Jeff Smith held his nerve to secure Phyllis Court a 2-1 lunchtime lead with a narrow 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 win over Anne Small.

Broom extended Phyllis Court’s lead beating Jamison 7-4, 7-3 but the team match was then put on a knife edge when Eagle lost to George 7-5, 5-7, 4-7 and Smith fell to Small 6-7, 3-7. Essa held Phyllis Court’s fortunes in her grasp in the last match to finish and she covered a first-game lead to a match win 7-4, 7-4.

Phyllis Court will now face Nottingham in the national semi-final as they bid to be the first winners of this tier 3 competition which is new for this season.

In regional competition, Phyllis Court B were held to another 8-8 draw in the Southern Croquet Federation 3+ League, this time at Blewbury B.

Hugh Crook won three times for the visitors, Pete Falle and Jeff Smith won twice each, but captain Rob Eagle was winless.

Phyllis Court B host Harwell today (Friday) and realistically need to win this and all their remaining matches if they are to maintain hopes of catching league leaders Phyllis Court D.