Saturday 16th May saw the 14pt Handicap Singles played out amongst intermittent(ish) showers. A last minute plumbing emergency saw the field reduced to 10 competitors, so two groups of five players fought it out to provide our finalists. Despite the disappointing weather all games were played in full, to time, and without interruption, with all club members present displaying a stoic refusal to acknowledge the slightest bit of inconvenience. On the plus side the weather allowed for the display of some “interesting” anti-rain headgear, thanks to Geraint, – I’m sure everyone will be wearing them during the next wet event.
The two finalists emerged from their respective groups via somewhat different routes, with Shelley making imperious progress through her section, claiming a clean sweep of all four of her matches with an average winning margin of 6.5 points. The other half of the draw was a much tighter affair, with the result in doubt until the last few minutes of the last round of games, with three players, Tim, Geraint and Dave in close contention, and but for a last gasp break by Phil we could have had a three way tie, with “who beat who” being indecisive and it coming down to aggregate match scores. However with Phil beating Geraint by +1 Dave emerged as the group victor.
The final was a closely fought contest, however Shelley’s final break got her over the line to defeat Dave by +1, and there was little doubt that her victory was amply deserved as she was by common consent the player of the tournament.
Many thanks to all who played, spectated, and who otherwise contributed to the event.
Alberto Porras