Times Cup Final – Telecom A  v Telecom B

Well, to call this final a family affair is certainly no understatement; one look at the team sheet would be enough to convince you of that, since half of the players all came from the same Holt stock. How would they fare, however, when pitted against each other – both brother against brother, and parent against child? From beginning to end, the matches were played in friendly rivalry and great sportsmanship, the rumour of what Tina had actually fed her A team counterparts for their tea that night long since forgotten.

For the A team, David Holt partnered first Andrew Barlow, and later his son, Cameron, against the B team might of wily Nils McDonald who had the joy of two Holt boys in the men’s, first Rhys and then Niall. In the ladies’ doubles, the experienced Kath Spillane played with a very nicely tanned Jane Makey, followed by Lesley Quigley, against the steady B team ladies of Gill Luker, Choi Davidson and mum, Tina Holt.

The doubles’ matches were both close and very exciting. Particularly impressive was Choi Davidson’s focus and shot accuracy, with extremely accurate backhand drops seeming to come off every time! In the men’s, Nils’ retrieval skills and Niall’s strong smashes ensured some excellent battling rallies on both courts. At one point, cramp stopped play for Andrew Barlow due to the effort exuded on the court. The generous play of both teams, frequent apologies and appreciation of the oppositions’ shots, were a credit to the Telecom club.

Eventually, however, there had to be a winner and it was up to mum and dad Holt to open the envelope. By the smallest of margins, the A team had come through victorious, although their celebrations were nicely muted since half of them would be going home with each other!

Well done, Telecom A.