Club Champs Finale

Dear All,

The Finale

In a petri dish somewhere in Berkshire, the Wellcome Trust are fiddling about with the Human genome; one imagines they are trying to create the perfect tennis player. They have already created Alyson Fox , need they continue?

In our leafy oasis just off the south circular we have created tennis players of all types. As a volunteer-led club, this is a haven we have all made.

Today is the culmination of two weeks of a tournament that each year represents all the years from 1882 to the present day. So much effort is put in by so many volunteers who I am calling the we/us of this club.

We are all involved in making this showpiece event.

Step through the gates on finals day and find the amphitheatre is humming and expectant. The courts are pristine, gleaming, new nets are strung up, scoreboards and umpires chairs are hovering expectantly. We have put up bunting and positioned the BBQ. What happened to the gazebo? We may regret its loss later in the day. We have made salads and cakes, the bar is stocked, the fridge groaning, ice bags sweating quietly and we have enough bin bags, don’t we? By late morning the air is heavy and humid, conditions are a little overcast, the pressure is low; a few zephyrs of breeze promise some solace from the heat on and off the court. The crowds are arriving now. And so to tennis. There are a number of mini juniors finals to finish. Vamos!

In the giant cake of our membership we have a community of many layers. A sponge of energetic and excited juniors make up the first. Juniors learning their capabilities physically and mentally. We have a thick layer of young adults pushing their boundaries and exploring their limits playing excellent tennis to the best of their ability. Then a light sponge of players managing their known capacities but still playing with an exuberance and enjoyment that tennis gives us in its unique way. The top is a thick layer of slightly overcooked sponge, a little heavy. Players who, though forced to recognise the real limitations of ageing bodies and minds, still perform with commitment and energy and in most cases a belief that any infirmity is temporary.

This is our club and today we will watch the cream of each layer battling to be the jam on top, or does the cream sit on top of the jam? We will have to ask the fearsome contingent from Devon. Enough semantics…

Be sure you cannot have the cream/jam without the sponge.

So congratulations to everybody who plays.

Those who apparently hit at 8am most mornings, though most days these courts seem to come up for re-booking, those who play all our club sessions and all those who entered the tournament and sadly lost out, we are the substance of the cake.

Prior to the action I have a few quotes from tennis legends on competition.

“Winning is almost so you don’t lose. The thrill of winning is not as great as the pain of losing” John McEnroe.

“If you are afraid of losing then you daren’t win” Bjorn Borg

And Martina Navratilova “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved the pig is committed”

Are we watching pigs or chickens? I imagine all pigs.

You understand I am sure that this roving reporter cannot watch five matches at once so I will describe the action as I saw it and apologies to those whose excellence I missed.

The sun is out now and I start my day in the broiling heat watching two of our heroes on court 5. Under 12 boys final. Harry Au vs Phoenix Bidder . Two ten year olds are barely as tall as the net. I will need to see birth certificates. They are phenomenal.

They have brought a kingdom of birds to the court. They dart from side to side forwards and back like kingfishers, a flash and a strike. From their racquets fly sparrowhawks into the corners mixed in with soaring and darting swallows and then from nowhere plump doves drop just over the net often scared up into flight again by swooping falcons. The action is thrilling.

But the women's singles has started and it's hot in the sunshine beside court 5. So I find myself a seat next to John Barton in the shade by No 1 court. I congratulate him for all his tireless efforts as director of clubhouse and grounds and we settle down ready to be awed.

Virunee Viravong v Hannah Pulford . The ladies appear to have exchanged tennis balls for fireballs, interchanged with drop shots that land as soft as snowflakes then fizzle away in the heat. Hannah goes 40 love up, serving first, but Virunee storms back with blazing forehand winners to take the first game. This is going to be good.

Alex pops up “where is the umpire?” We look around for Virunee’s cousin but he hasn't turned up. Miguel Viera is press ganged up into the chair and in safe hands now the match can continue. It’s tremendous stuff, fireballs and snowflakes. Hannah doesn’t break sweat (more on that later) but Virunee breaks Hannah and takes the first set.

Back to our under 12 heroes. Harry has taken the first set and Phoenix is wobbling. Phoenix tries to race round at change of ends but his parents wisely encourage him to take on water and some sort of snack bar. Harry is self-sufficient; he has a little picnic box that he dips into and already has a routine of drinking, eating, towelling and meditation. Change of end snacks are intriguing, I don’t think I saw a banana all day. At one change of ends Phoenix’s Mum is in an intense conversation with him, his father Sean sagely advises her that she is not allowed to coach, she is only trying to encourage him to drink. More sparrowhawks are unleashed and redoubtable Phoenix drags the second set back his way. However when under pressure Harry , in the way of a champion, unfurls bigger hitting. It's going to a tiebreak.

A quick dash up to court 1 where the great and the good are seeing the end of the match which Virunee wins. Virunee has won back to back to back titles, wow. The blistered tarmac is left to cool for a while.

It’s a well turned out turn out of spectators now. I count 150 of us around the place. I also count five previous chairs and any number of vices, that is vice chairs. Also countless serving and served committee members among the fifty or so courtside. We love tennis.

Meanwhile, on court 3 I can make out the women's vets final Vicky Flind v Alyson Fox . This appears to be a more genteel affair than the open. Pre-match Alyson told me she never wins singles, she is in the final! Thus she is playing what Navratilova would say as chicken.

It looks to be quite a close match but with Alyson perhaps saving herself for other finals and Vicky driving powerfully and slicing cleverly. Vicky wins. They wisely put the change of ends bench in the shade at the end of the court. I couldn’t make out their snacks, possibly just water.

What’s this beyond them on court 4. A men's doubles semi-final left over from the week. It's a good humoured, passionate and high class contest. Matt Whitehead and Jo Weiland win out against Miles Speer and Joe Reeve . Good to see these two stalwarts in their kit on finals day. Notable action I am told involved Miles firing a cannonball into the back of Joe's head while serving. He is ok, folks.

Two bright flashes catch my eye. One is the indefatigable James Ireson , blue cap and phone in hand dashing about sending live updates to a finals day whatsapp group. A modern and exciting initiative. For those of you who missed the real nuts and bolts of the day, I am told his feeds will be accessible to us to read and relive the glories. Who is hanging on his words just now? Is it previous chair Peter Higgs, notable by his absence, lounging on Bondi or just Charlotte Ireson wisely at home with her feet in a bowl of cold water.

The other flash is Adam Burgis in fluorescent yellow socks and shirt. The marathon has started on court 6 versus new veteran Jonathan Pearson . They are initially chucking pebbles at each other looking for weaknesses. Jonathan fires the occasional rock but it's looking attritional. I am just in time to see the end of the gladiatorial tiebreak on court 5. Phoenix wins after an hour and a half but there are no losers here. A wonderful match.

It's time for another beer. Manjit Roseghini and her helpers are rushed but calm and efficient, the beer is cold and served with a smile. I wash beer down with a hotdog perfectly cooked by Bob Henderson who looks cool at the BBQ despite the heat. Where is that gazebo?

Hastening from court 5 to court 1, Alex Heath is back up in the umpire's chair from where he spent most of the day, rightfully surveying his kingdom. Simon Tricker kindly kept his bottle full with water and ice. The men's final is imminent.

Back to court 6 and Jonathan Pearson and Adam Burgis are sweeping their court. Who won? Nobody yet, it seems Jonathan has taken the first set and they are prepping for the next hour! The ladies doubles are heading for court 5 now and the women's vets doubles to court 3. I will watch the mens open first.

These lads have brought fireworks to the court in place of balls. Rockets on both sides and Catherine wheels of backspin and those other ones that spiral and scream at the same time. For those of us with reduced vision, this match could be listened to. Serves crack, forehands biff and boff, slices oooosh and drop shots plop. Twenty, thirty shot rallies; biff boff biff boff biff boff oooosh oooosh biff boff biff boff plop oooosh biff boff biff boff boff biff biff aaaah. So the libretto includes the spectators; crack biff ooh boff aah biff biff oooosh boff aaah. Charlie Casey could write the score (btw Akasha play North Dulwich tennis club on July 10th). The tennis is huge, glorious and exhausting to watch.

I grab a beer and head to court 6. Adam has changed his shirt, it’s not flouro, it's white but seems to have helped his game. He has taken the second set. Our new vet, the youngest model, has injured himself so there is a long break in the action while he gets treatment. Gives me a chance to watch a little of the women's vets doubles where Alyson Fox and Aruna Iyengar have taken the first set against Sylvia Schubert and Judy Hammond . There is less biff boffing here when it's not on Alyson's forehand, though in fairness they all have powerful drives. The tennis is charming and captivating. The ladies have cleverly added a looping ball into the mix which frankly gives everyone a chance to rest during the points in this heat. There is a whirring and clicking nearby and I see it is photographers Ivan Savage and Clive Sherlock snapping away. We look forward to seeing their shots. Adam and Jonathan are back out on 6 for the decider and the ladies double's final has drawn a crowd on 5. I don’t watch this but there is biffing and boffing, thwunking and applauding and cheers. Must be a good match.

On court 1 the fireworks are incessant, Guy Fawkes day starts earlier every year! Dom Pearson seems to be getting the upper hand, his cracks are louder and faster and his sumptuous single handed backhand is sparkling. These two are creamy pigs, who knows which way it will go? The two pigs have finished now on court 6. Jonathan has lost out to Adam and they are sweeping away the pebbles and rocks that they have been launching at each other for the last three hours. I take a small beer and enjoy the palate cleanser on court 3 which has entered a championship tiebreak. Judy Hammond and Sylvia Schubert have won the second set. However, in relaxing after the effort of that set, they find themselves quickly behind in the tiebreak and Alyson and Aruna take it to seal the victory. Court 5 ladies are still going. What's the score?

I watch the climax of the epic men's singles on 1 where Dom becomes our new champion, again no losers here, double cream.

I think the ladies doubles finished about this time also with Virunee and Amy Sergeant vanquishing Hannah (did she sweat?) and Jane Buswell …congratulations.

So a piece of cake, Manjit still serving behind the bar with dedication and stamina, and it's time for men's doubles.

Jo Weiland and Matt Whitehead are taking on Tom Fenton and Dom Pearson and they have brought fireworks, cannonballs and invisible force fields on court. Huge drives are sucked onto the racquets of net players, their power is absorbed and the ball redirected back over the net ready to be boffed again and again repeat, repeat. Outrageous tennis.

Now what devilry is this on courts 3 and 4? The birds are back. Our heroes Harry and Phoenix are back on court. The vanquished Harry has quickly matured and is playing in the under 16 final. His opponent is literally twice his size, I fear for him. The victor Phoenix has grown to be a finalist in the under 14 final. From what I can see both our champions are holding their own in the early stages.

On court 6 Livia Odgers and Dominique Brooks are fighting out the Under 16 girls’ final. They appear to be good friends and the tennis is great. Forehands are modern classics with cocked wrists and big follow throughs. The rallies are long and well constructed and the atmosphere congenial.

Court 5, a change of shirt, black with pink flouro accents (that’s what is in the big bags) Adam Burgis is back on court with Hamid Irshad facing Jonathan Pearson and Bill Meredith . Some biff boff has started, but mixed in with creaks and groans and the unique excellence of Bill’s double handed volleys. The early stages are tight but Adams' stonewall and Hamid's guile may win the day here. On court 2, after a really long warm up, Marty Amarteifeo and Elliot Ofori have started their under 18 final. There is recognisable tension in the arms here. Gone are the swallows and sparrowhawks of junior tennis replaced by more powerful birds with erratic flight but plenty of intent. The match looks like it matters.

I have found a chair on the grass by court 1, the men's doubles, to enjoy the biff boff ooosh. It seems the only way to be sure of winning a point is to bounce the smashes mightily and over the back fence into Lovers' Walk.

Word has reached me that Harry has another championship tiebreak out on court 4. Small Peroni, and I race over to watch. It’s tight, it's gripping, feathers are flying, it’s 10-8 Noah Zhu wins. Congratulations fella, that was a win in a no win situation. On court all day, Harry is all smiles and glowing cheeks. Hero.

Court 3, Phoenix is up against Fabien Ofori-Sunner and the tennis is excellent. All birdlife that flies is represented; these lads have irrepressible energy and fight.

The men's doubles has wrapped up now, Tom Fenton and Dom Pearson have been taken down by Whitehead and Weiland . Seems an appropriate result. There was little between them in a high class match and those perspex trophy coasters need to be spread around.

In the distance the open mixed doublers are out on court 4.

Manjit has relinquished the bar, Judy Hammond and Sarah Walsh , serial volunteers, have stepped in. Paulo Roseghini has wrested the BBQ tools from Bob Henderson , he says he can't get a court so he might as well do something else.

Court 2 and Elliot is our under 18 champion, well played both. Court 3 and our other hero, Phoenix , has won in three sets, a remarkable achievement.

With good shade now for a healthy tranche of spectators, action focuses on courts 5 and 6. Hamid and Adam have taken the men's vets doubles. Aspirational tennis for the old folk. Those who keep the little ball over the net and in between the lines for longest seem to win. Actual winners are a rare luxury.

The mixed open has moved from 4 to 5 where the residual heat from Harry and Noah's final had left the court too hot to play on.

What's this on court 6? It's another change of outfit for Adam Burgis who appears to be wearing statement shorts. The front a perfectly normal white, the back a leopard print yellow and black flouro. Let's hope they don’t distract Aruna when he is at the net and she is serving. Hamid and Alyson are the opponents in a match that looks like survival of the fittest. I fetch a fresh beer and wander down to watch the evening's offerings.

No one knows what the scores are, even Phil Harper and Jess Moody have lost track. There is a coterie of Rosé wine enthusiasts courtside who say they have been waiting all day for this match but they don’t know the score either.

Over at the clubhouse the juniors are getting their trophies. I can't watch, it would make me cry to see our heroes get their prizes and I only cry when watching Bake Off these days. Change of ends, what’s the score? James Ireson knows, he is still updating us via WhatsApp, and Emma Michell appears to be concentrating.

Alasdair Bradley and Virunee are having cake at the break. Hamid and Adam are emptying sachets of unknown powder into their water bottles. Still no bananas. The mixed final is biff and boff, oooosh and plop. More high quality and really good humour. Your reporter has had a few by now. I think it was a tiebreak decider with the winner a brutal smash from the racquet of Joe Tyndall . Hannah has a victory and the question comes from her friends with the Rosé wine, “all that tennis and you are still not sweating!?”

As a fitting ending, Hamid hits the last shot of the day, he hobbles slightly to a short ball from Aruna and deftly pushes it past a glowing Burgis . The titles are all decided.

Around 9pm we enjoyed a sparsely populated presentation, various Securicor vans pulled up outside to haul away the trophies of the serial winners.

Thank you so much!

To all those for partaking and helping out at this year's club champs . But in particular we would like to thank:

Bob Henderson & Paolo Roseghini behind the BBQ - feedback was you both produced the best BBQ in town

We had lovely cakes donated by Judy , Sarah and Rachel .
Salads by Aruna , Sonia , Gill , Caroline , and Bob.

Liz Rowland helped with shop run for bbq tableware etc and then another run for burgers when we ran out.

Hired help from Freddie and Penny with food prep and both excellent social skills.

Finally Manjit Roseghini for commandeering all of the above, and everyone else who helped behind the bar for the two weeks!!

We also want to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who helped to produce the daily newsletters: Emma Michell, Joe Reeve, Joe Tyndall, James Ireson, Sarah Walsh, Phil Harper, Sonia Whitehead, Alyson Fox, Jane Buswell, Daniel Ajegbo, Simon Godfrey, Ajay Khandelwal, Nick Stott and Jess Moody , what incredible hidden writing talents we have at OCLTC! A special thank you to James Ireson for volunteering to provide a live feed of final's day events.

Last but by no means least, thank you so much to Alex Heath for his incredible stamina in organising the tournament and getting through numerous scheduling dramas, as well as Graham , who assisted him with this. The amazing Virunee Viravong , we must thank you for your continued fantastic organisation of the social side of OC and all the social aspects of the tournament. And finally, Alyson Fox and Hamid Irshad, the tennis power couple who were busy cleaning the BBQ this morning while the rest of us were recovering from our pimms hangovers: you have all been sensationally committed to the OC tournament and gone above and beyond to make it happen. This tournament truly could not have happened without any of you.

That's a wrap! See you next year, folks.