Tuesday 2nd November was the day, 7pm was the time, and courts one, two and three at Saxmundham Tennis Club were the venue for the November edition of the club's friendly doubles social tournament for members.
A dedicated troupe of 12 players turned up for the event, braving the very chilly but clear evening which was, when layered-up, a perfect night for tennis.
The format for the evening was to play as mixed doubles, selected at random, with pairs playing four games then switching partners, sudden-death deuces, and each player reporting their own score. This was all deftly wrangled by our peerless Club Secretary, Fiona Foreman.
Strong performances came from both Bill and Martin L, who drew with a total of 18 points each, closely followed by Juliet who accrued an impressive 17 points (see scoresheet). Well done to the three of you.
Winners were rewarded with a classy bar of chocolate, and all players seemed to enjoy getting out and playing.
It was also good to welcome back Richard after his absence from the courts. His super-speedy baseline shots seemingly not having received the 'out of practice' memo.
The tournament was rounded-off by a delicious bring-something-on-a-plate-please buffet. A special mention goes to Jennie P's homemade smoked salmon and broccoli quiche and Belinda J's delicious sausages, plus a heart-clogging array of cheeses and Fiona's homemade cake.
Well done again to Fiona for organising buffet stuff so we didn't end up with three tons of crips and nothing else.
Finally, the large teapot also deserves a mention, doing a sterling job of work by soothing cold hands with warm cups of tea.
The next social club tournament takes place in early December, details to follow.
Pictures: Jo Davies and Richard Andrews.
