Wheelchair Exhibition: Honours finished even after the two Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition matches played on Court 14 at the The Championships, Wimbledon on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th July, with Kevin Plowman, (Halifax, Yorskshire) and David Gardner (Wheatley Hill, Durham & Cleveland) having the upper hand in Saturday's first match, while Matthew Faucher (Hereford, Herefordshire & Worcestershire) and John Greer (United States) gained revenge in Sunday's exhbition.
Meanwhile Anthony Sinclair (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Darren O Donnell (Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire) fought back to defeat Daniel Tunstall (Pewsey, Wiltshire) and Lewis Fletcher (Farnham, Surrey) in three sets in the first ever Deaf Tennis Exhibition to take place at The Championships, on Saturday, 3rd July.
Gardner and Plowman, one of two nominated British pairings for the Men's Doubles at the Athens Paralympic Games in September, made a blistering start to Saturday's first Wheelchair Exhibition, and not even a shower of rain during the second set could dampen the their ambition or the crowd's enjoyment as the Britsh duo scored a decisive 6-1 6-2 victory.
The two Britons, runners-up in the Men's Main Draw Doubles at this year's National Championships in Gloucester in May, started Sunday's second Exhibition match in much the same vein, racing to a 5-1 first set lead before wrapping the set up 6-2. The all too familiar rain over the Wimbledon fortnight once again delayed play on most Courts, but the wheelchair exhibition once again carried on regardless, with the Anglo-American duo of Faucher and Greer gaining their first service break of the weekend in the sixth game of the second set. This break proved decisive as Faucher and Greer went on to secure the set 6-3 and take the match into a deciding Championship tie-break.
In the tie-break, Gardner and Plowman once again gained the early initiative, snatching an early mini-break to move 4-1 ahead. However, Faucher and Greer again hit back to break serve twice more themselves and eventually took the tie-break 10-7 to claim the match and avenge Saturday's defeat.
The first ever Deaf Tennis Exhibition, played at 4pm on Saturday, again drew a sizeable and knowledgeable crowd to Court 14 and produced another dramatic turn around in fortunes. Fotunately the rain stayed away this time, and in the bright but blustery conditions Tunstall and Fletcher made much the better start as they ecured service breaks in the third and fifth game en route to taking the set 6-1. However, with their initial nerves having settled, Sinclair and O'Donnell raised their game in the second set, forcing Tunstall and Fletcher into errors and capitalising to break in the sixth and eight games and take the second set 6-2. Having won the second set, Sinclair and O'Donnell maintained their momentum to wrap up a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Five of the eight players taking part in the weekend's Wheelchair and Deaf Exhibitions are on international duty in the next two weeks. Gardner and Plowman fly out to Rotterdam today (Monday), for the Dutch Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, a Championship Series 1 event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, which begins on Tuesday. Then, on Thursday, O'Donnell, Sinclair and Tunstall fly fly out to Pau, France, where they will part of a Marsh Team GB squad of four men and four women representing Britain in the 10th European Deaf Tennis Championships.
Slazenger Harrogate and District League
Despite lacking Andy Carter, their No1 player, Harlow retained their top of the table spot in Division One of the Slazenger Harrogate and District Tennis League. Carter, unbeaten in all his eight matches this season, was unavailable for his side's latest clash.
But his stand-in Colin Smith, partnering Sophie Jacob, won all three matches without dropping a set in the 5.5-3.5 home win against The Academy. Harlow lead the way with just one defeat in nine matches, four points ahead of Thirsk who were beaten 5.5-3.5 by champions Boroughbridge.
The Boroughbridge victory saw them bounce back after a 6.5-2.5 setback against Harlow. Boroughbridge have a match in hand on Harlow and Thirsk, but are five points adrift of the leaders.
Match details: Harlow 5.5 The Academy 3.5 (Harlow names first): Colin Smith and Sophie Jacob beat David Brown and Julie Abbott 6-3 6-3; beat Chris Sorby and Rebecca Sowden 6-3; beat Matthew Parry and Beth Billig 6-3 6-3. Tomas David and Julie Bradley lost to Brown and Abbott 2-6 4-6; halved with Sorby and Sowden 6-2 3-6; beat Parry and Billig 6-4. Richard Pegg and Pauline Knight lost to Brown and Abbott 3-6; halved with Sorby and Sowden 4-6 6-4; halved with Parry and Billig 0-6 6-5. Boroughbridge 5.5 Thirsk 3.5 (Boroughbridge names first): Graeme Campbell and Laura Gilbert beat Graham Parker and Carol Collinson 6-3 6-4; beat K Philpott and Debbie Hannam 6-2; beat Paul Spence and N Lea 6-0 6-2.
Ian Grasby and Gayle Partridge lost to Parker and Collinson 5-6 2-3, Partridge retired injured; halved with Philpott and Hannam 6-3 5-6; conceded to Spence and Lea 0-6.
John Rowe and Kate Needham lost to Parker and Collinson 3-6; beat Philpott and Hannam 6-3 6-2; beat Spence and Lea 6-0 6-1.
Only two sides remain unbeaten in the league so far - Harrogate Racquets A, relegated from Division One last season, and Spa A.
Racquets lead Division Two, four points ahead of Harlow A, who have a match in hand. Racquets, who are captained by Graham Pinkett, have a superior rubbers' average over Harlow. Spa A, undefeated in eight clashes under the captaincy of Jennifer Reffitt, are four points in front of Birstwith A at the top of Division Six, who have lost only once this season.
Division One: Boroughbridge 5.5 Thirsk 3.5; Harlow 5.5 The Academy 3.5; Bedale 5 The Academy A 4.
Division Two: Ben Rhydding 4 Raskelf 5; Harrogate Racquets A 8 Dacre 1; Raskelf 3 Ripon 6; Knaresborough 6 Thirsk A 3.
Division Three: Harrogate Racquets A 8 Dacre 1; Raskelf 3 Ripon 6; Knaresborough 6 Thirsk A 3.
Division Three: Harrogate Racquets B 6.5 Masham 2.5; Starbeck 4.5 Wetherby 4.5; Northallerton 8.5 Ripon A 0.5; Harlow B 5 Boroughbridge A 4.
Division Four: Northallerton A 4 West Tanfield 5; West Tanfield 5.5 Northallerton A 3.5; Birstwith 3 Harlow C 6; Thirsk B 5.5 Knaresborough A 3.5; Wetherby A 5 Harrogate Racquets c 4.
Division Five; Ripon B 7 Northalleton B 2; Harlow D 5 Starbeck A 4; Wetherby B 3.5 Ripon B 5.5.
Division Six: Bedale B 2 Spa A 7; Burton Leonard 3.5 West Tanfield A 5.5; Dacre B 3 Raskelf A 6; Harrogate Racquets D 3 Knaresborough B 6; Thirsk C 2.5 Birstwith A 6.5.
Division 1
Harlow 9 8 0 1
Thirsk 9 5 2 2
Boroughbridge 8 5 1 2
Harrogate Racquets 7 3 1 3
Bedale 8 3 0 6
Academy 8 1 3 4
Academy A 9 2 0 7
Spa 6 1 1 4
Division 2
Harrogate Racquets A 8 8 0 0
Harlow A 7 6 0 1
Ripon 7 4 0 3
Ben Rhydding 7 3 0 4
Knaresborough 8 3 0 5
Dacre 8 3 0 5
Raskelf 9 2 0 7
Thirsk A 8 2 0 6
Division 3
Northallerton 8 7 0 1
Harrogate Racquets B 9 7 0 2
Boroughbridge A 9 5 1 3
Wetherby 8 1 4 3
Starbeck 9 3 2 4
Ripon A 9 3 1 5
Harlow B 8 2 0 6
Mashamshire 8 0 1 7
Division 4
Wetherby A 9 5 2 2
West Tanfield 9 5 2 2
Harlow C 9 5 1 3
Northallerton A 9 5 0 4
Knaresborough A 9 5 0 4
Thirsk B 9 4 0 5
Harrogate Racquets C 9 2 2 5
Birstwith 9 1 1 7
Division 5
Dacre A 8 7 0 1
Bedale A 7 6 0 1
Wetherby B 9 5 0 4
Ripon B 8 4 0 4
Harlow D 8 2 0 6
Starbeck A 8 2 0 6
Northallerton B 8 2 0 6
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