Sidmouth Ladies’ B team were beaten by visiting Victoria Park in a close encounter, writes Kate Truman.

It was a contest that went the distance with the final point recorded just before the lights had to be switched off!

Having moved up a division in the Winter League, and with lots of new teams on the circuit, the B team were expecting to come up against a higher level of tennis and that proved to be the case!

Victoria Park had fielded two very strong teams and Sidmouth’s second pairing of Ensall and Dolling (who was nursing a back injury) couldn’t quite find the standard required to make an impression and went down 3-6, 0-6, and 2-6, 0-6.

However, Maynard and Truman fared better.

They lost their first rubber 5-7, 2-6, but their game improved as the night went on and they showed great tenacity to win the second rubber in a nail-biting 7-6, 7-6 finish, just a few minutes before the club’s floodlights had to be switched off!

The visitors won the game 6-2, but it was a most enjoyable night’s tennis with the ladies relishing the challenge of tougher competition.