Sidmouth Mixed Team were in action against Woodbury a week ago last Wednesday and the team had to dig in to come away with some hard earned points in what seems to be the emergent pattern in this particular league, writes Lesley Cranston.

Mary Dean and Peter Fung came up against a hard-hitting first couple and lost in straight sets.

Against the same couple, Debbie Snelgrove and young Jake Harrison, playing for his first time this season in the mixed league, stood up well to the battering coming from the other side of the net just losing out in the championship tie-break 10-8.

Both Sidmouth couples had success against the Woodbury B couple, Dean and Fung needing a tie-break to take the game whilst Snelgrove and Harrison won through convincingly 6-1, 6-2. Once again the overall result was a draw, the third for Sidmouth this season who are now in need of some wins having lost their only other contest at this half way stage.

The ladies’ B were away to Torquay last Monday week, once again having to play in damp conditions. Kate Truman and Andrea Cushing showed their experience in winning both their rubbers with comfortable scores 6-2, 6-3 and 6-2, 6-2.

It wasn’t all plain sailing as Truman struggled with the return of serve but compensated through her own service games and strong net play. The two combined well as Cushing’s use of the lob and excellent ball placement thwarted the opposition’s attempts to dominate the game.

Marlene Maynard (captain) playing with the up-and-coming schoolgirl, Molly Wiltshire struggled to find a rhythm against the experienced Torquay first couple, going down 6-1, 6-3.

In the second rubber they were in sight of the wining post when tiredness allowed unforced errors to creep in and they succumbed 7-6, 7-5.

Nevertheless, sharing the points in a 4-4 draw was a considerable improvement on the home match a month ago when they lost 6-2.