Sidmouth Cricket Club and Tennis Club was a hive of sporting activity last Sunday with cricketers in full swing in the Minor Counties Cup and tennis fans enjoying a feast of matches as the club tournament events reached their conclusion, writes Lesley Cranston.

Eight finals were played during the course of the afternoon in which both the setting and the weather were equally delightful.

The programme kicked off with three junior finals. In the boys u14, familiar rivals Louis Spalding and Eliot King had their usual feat of endurance with punishing rallies, neither boy willing to give way, but, on this occasion Eliot found a way through his opponent’s defences to emerge a 6-1, 6-2 winner.

The boys u18 was a more rapid affair with Jake Harrison showing how much his game has developed over the last year in disposing of Sam Marriott for the loss of only one game.

Jake continued to exert his authority with an identical score in the men’s final where his strength and speed were too much for stalwart, Martin Truman who for second year running had to give way to the power of youthful exuberance.

Jake still had two more finals to complete, but in both of these he came second. Partnered by Neill Hanson, the pair put up a tough fight in the first set against head coach, Ben Elliott and young Johnny Surtees just losing out 5-7. Elliott and Surtees powered ahead in the second claiming it without the loss of a game.

In the mixed doubles Elliott and Harrison were again on opposite sides of the net. Elliott paired with Jane Corry and Harrison with newly crowned ladies’ singles champ, Marlene Maynard, put up stern resistance, but the ‘coach’ showed why he is in that position and, by taking the pressure off his partner, they came through 6-4, 6-4.

The outcome of the ladies matches sees some new names on the silverware. In the Girls u18, Molly Spalding and Tessa Mitchell showed great endeavour and resilience with little to separate the two, but Molly just had the edge at the critical moments winning 7-6, 7-5.

In the over 18 version (although only one of the players qualifies on that count!) Georgia Hanson took Marlene Maynard all the way before the latter’s doggedness won through 6-1, 2-6, 10-8. Lots of retrieving and determination were evident in this match with both players making it a worthy final.

The ladies doubles was another closely matched affair in which new combinations were meeting for the first time.

Viv Bess and Jill Shorthouse took on Lesley Cranston and Marjorie-Ann Bromhead. The first set was nip and tuck neither side allowing the other to put any distance between them, no surprise it went to a tie- break which saw Cranston and Bromhead taking it to three.

They then kept the foot on the pedal and closed out the match 7-6, 6-1.

The players were well supported by enthusiastic spectators, thanks go to them for ‘sitting it out’. Well done to all the players for some entertaining and at times skilful displays of our ‘beautiful’ game. A big thank you to Debbie Snelgrove and helpers for making the whole tournament happen and to the social committee for their fund raising efforts.