Scalby Tennis Club end season with two more titles after dramatic Beverley finish
Scalby Tennis Club needed two wins on Tuesday night to complete a remarkable Driffield League season with both Mixed teams taking their division titles.
They got them, although the Mixed A team had to do it the hard way.
The Mixed B side had the more straightforward evening, winning 9-0 at home to a Sledmere team that arrived with only two pairs, handing Scalby a 3-0 lead before the first point was played.
Helen Creaser, Lauren Asquith, Liberty Ingham, Rob Tucker, John Mathers and captain Matt Haxby then completed the job, securing the Division 5 championship in the team’s first season.
The Mixed A team faced a very different proposition at Beverley Town.
A victory would secure the Division 2 title and promotion, but Beverley also had plenty to play for, needing a win to be certain of avoiding relegation.
Both clubs fielded strong teams, with Beverley hoping their home advantage on their increasingly worn grass courts would prove significant.
Scalby made the better start, taking a 2-1 lead after the opening round, but the second round was closely fought. Louise Tomlinson and Rich Stacey were edged out in a tie-break, while Julie Boddy and Mark Whitlegg battled hard before losing 8-6.
With the overall score now level at 3-3, everything came down to the final round.
Boddy and Whitlegg again found themselves in a tight contest but were eventually beaten 8-6, meaning Scalby needed both of the remaining rubbers to win the title.
Tomlinson and Stacey responded in convincing fashion, winning 8-1. Tomlinson was particularly strong at the net.
With the score tied at 4-4, it was left to Scalby’s number one pair, Milly Sidaway and Jack Boddy, to decide the destination of the title.
The signs were not encouraging. Sidaway and Boddy trailed 5-2 and then 6-4, with the evening light beginning to fade. But they gradually turned the match around, levelling at 6-6.
They then held their nerve to pull ahead 7-6 before breaking serve to secure victory 8-6 and, with it, a memorable comeback and the Division 2 championship.
The result completed an outstanding season for Scalby, with four of the club’s five teams winning their respective divisions.
The Ladies A team also enjoyed an excellent campaign, finishing third in Division 1 – their highest position for several seasons.