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Phyllis Court beat Swanage 6-1

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pictureThe Phyllis Court team, from left: Paul Franklin, Patricia Mulcahy, Raghu Iyer & Chris Roberts (Photo: Frances Colman)

by Christopher Roberts at East Dorset CC
18 May 2023 (GC - Federations Shield)

Phyllis Court were flattered by a convincing score line in defeating South-West handicap champions Swanage, in the national Federations Shield competition last week.
The Henley side, themselves handicap champions of the Southern Federation, won all the afternoon session games to run away 6-1 winners at the home of East Dorset CC at Poole, near Bournemouth, which gave the lie to just how tight this match actually was.

Chris Roberts (handicap -1) and debutant Paul Franklin (10) won an excitingly close doubles match in the morning session in which the former's repeated clearances from distance, partnered by Franklin's deft ball placements, seemed to dishearten the opposition.
Swanage pair Greg Vaughn (4) and Tony Green (5) played well but were out manoeuvred by the Phyllis Court pair who won 7-5, 7-3.
In the two morning singles rubbers, Raghu Iyer (4) fell to the hosts' Nick O'Connor (5) by 3-7, 4-7, but Phyllis Court's Patricia Mulcahy (6) took out William Knight (6) 7-4, 7-3 in a game without any handicap extra turns.

The Phyllis Court team was quietly confident on a 2-1 lead at lunch, and not long after the break Roberts overpowered the Vaughn 7-3, 7-4 despite conceding five extra turns in each game, leaving his side needing one more victory in any of the remaining three afternoon matches.
It was not easy to see where that crucial fourth win was likely to be coming from though, especially when Iyer dropped his first game in his 'best of three' match against Swanage captain Green, and later each of the remaining three matches became tied a 1-1.
Iyer finally got into gear however, ran some long-range hoops with great confidence and sealed the team match with his own win 4-7, 7-5, 7-5.
News that the team result was in the bag, didn't reach Phyllis Court's Mulcahy and Frankin mid-games, but with the former exuding confidence with every stroke and the latter showing growing maturity in extra turns usage, a double icing of the metaphorical victory cake was applied when the pair won 5-7, 7-3, 7-6 and 7-2, 5-7, 7-4 respectively.

This victory sets up an intriguing quarter-final tie with Sheffield, who Phyllis Court have never played before.
The date and venue are yet to be decided.

Phyllis Court scores first:

Chris Roberts (-1) & Paul Franklin (10) beat Greg Vaughn (4) and Tony Green (5) 7-5, 7-3
Raghu Iyer (4) lost to Nick O'Connor (5) 3-7, 4-7
Patricia Mulcahy (6) beat William Knight (6) 7-4, 7-3

Chris Roberts (-1) beat Greg Vaughn (4) 7-3, 7-4
Raghu Iyer (4) beat Tony Green (5) 4-7, 7-5, 7-4
Patricia Mulcahy (6) beat Nick O'Connor (5) 7-5, 3-7, 7-6
Paul Franklin (10) beat William Knight (6) 7-2, 5-7, 7-4

Chris Roberts



 

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