Westholme B v Hit and Miss B  – You’re not going to share your carrot cake?

Things are tight at the top of the second division so I thought I’d take time out to visit my own B team, Captained by the capable Helen Wharton, as they faced the young pretenders, Hit and Miss B: well, when I say young, I mean ‘at heart’ for a couple of their players.

Westholme got off to a good start as Helen and Jenny Brookfield, flying down from the A team, took on the two young stars from Hit and Miss, Sophie Nicholson (with Mum watching from the wings) and Aqsa Adam (with two very proud parents on the side lines). The experience of the home pairing, however, quickly proved too much for the Hit and Miss ladies.  In the adjacent men’s game, the away team of Rees Parry and Phil Rhodes, faced Simon Townsend and Maz Haware. The rallies were rampant, the doubles play was dominant and there was savage smashing from all four men – and that’s enough alliteration to appease anybody! As the second ladies’ pairing took to the court, Jenny and Anne Robinson, against the ladies in black, young Sophie and our very own H – namely Helen Borrowdale – the match was even stevens, with all still to play for. As sharp as ever at the net, H dominated much of the play, with young Jenny really pushed hard around the court. As the ladies battled, eventually, splitting their games, the home men on the adjacent court, Maz partnering the website man himself, Alex Pimperton, as they faced the indomitable Mr Rhodes and young Dhaamin Malik. After his month’s rest from playing, Phil was positively demonic on court, reaching the unreachable with his never say die mentality. Both couples fought hard in what were very close games, both of which went the way of the away team.

As the mixed doubles got under way, it was still anyone’s game. The mean machine of Simon Townsend, partnering Helen at top mixed, faced young Aqsa and Rees. Some excellent touch control at the net from the experienced Helen and very forceful smashing from her partner, Simon, saw the home couple win both games. In the second mixed, however, the anticipation of Helen Borrowdale at the net as she partnered Dhaamin against Anne and Alex, eventually proved too much for the home pairing, although both games went down to the wire. Maz and Jenny were next up against the inexhaustible Phil, partnering young Sophie. This game was fittingly split between the couples, with Phil executing the shot of the match, a delightful cross court drop, an out and out winner. Next up, Dhamian and H faced Helen and Simon for Westholme. It was lovely to see the way in which the Hit and Miss gent grew in confidence in this game as his wrist control pushed the home team around the court. In the final mixed game, Alex and Anne took on the young couple, Rees and Aqsa in what was another well-tempered game, one in which Aqsa never seemed to stop smiling.

At the end of the evening, Hit and Miss were victorious by the smallest of margins, winning 10 games to 8.

And the carrot cake? Well, if you’d been given a homemade carrot cake by Phil Rhodes, I can guarantee you’d not share it either! It was not a bribe by the way, but a very late Christmas present!