Henley ladies have the edge

BOTH Henley Tennis Club’s ladies’ and men’s first teams enjoyed success in their respective leagues last weekend.

Henley Ladies 1sts edged a nail-biting home match against Wargrave Ladies 1sts, with the contest ultimately decided on games won.

After both teams finished level on two rubbers each and five sets apiece, Henley prevailed by the narrowest of margins, 37 games to 36.

Jess Craig and Fiona Huggard were involved in a tense three-set battle in the opening rubber, while Pam Saker and Maria Rosier fought hard in their first match.

The turning point came in the cross pairings, where Craig and Huggard produced a composed 6-4, 7-5 win, and Saker and Rosier showed resilience to recover from a one-sided first set and clinch their match in a deciding tie-break.

Meanwhile, Henley Men’s Berkshire 1sts produced a composed and dominant display against Slough 1sts in difficult, damp conditions.

David Hunte and James Cudd showed resilience to secure a tight straight-sets win against the Slough first pair before later closing out the fixture emphatically against the second pair.

Matt Hallam and Mike Whorrell were in commanding form throughout, delivering convincing wins in both of their rubbers. The result completed a clean sweep of matches for Henley and keeps the team unbeaten and top of the league, strengthening hopes of promotion as the season progresses.