Old Cranleighan Tennis Club
Chris Lloyd, Holmbury Farm, Cotten Road, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NB
01306 621443 (h)
E-mail: cmjlloyd@hotmail.com
In a season when the weather hampered most of the fixtures, it was once again the D’Abernon Cup which provided the excitement and drama.
Firstly, it was down to first pair Alex Knox and Matt Leahy to batter their way through the group stages at St George’s College in April. They won the group handsomely defeating the likes of Bradfield, Chaterhouse, Eton, Lancing and Sherborne to qualify.
As a result we were rewarded with a quarter-final draw against Old Bromsgrovians. This was a nail biter, consisting of two pairs, Matt Leahy & Alex Knox and Dave Cresswell & Chris Lloyd. The match came down to a games count back after both teams were level on 2-2 matches and 5-5 in sets. Cranleigh won 40-39 on games!
If you think it couldn’t get closer, well it did. In the semi-final we played against Old Paulines at the National Tennis Centre in September. Yours truly had a chance when serving for the match and a place in the final, but squandered the opportunity (I’m only just getting over it), eventually losing after having a match point.
I would like to thank the team for the time, effort and commitment they have put in to playing these matches, often at unsociable times. They have taken the team further than we have ever ventured before in this competition, since its inception in 1929, which is a great achievement. Hopefully next year we can go all the way through.
If any players are keen to play matches feel free to contact me on cmjlloyd@hotmail.com
Team: Matt Leahy, Alex Knox, Dave Cresswell, Chris Lloyd, Tim Williams