So, Friday 27th saw our New Hall team in their first outing this year, missing Becs, but with Ruth stepping in the captain was really keen to start the year with a victory. There was some discussion over the pairings, as Ruth and Ben aren't regulars in the squad, so a Martin switched the game plan up a little to accommodate.
The match was against Loughborough Town, who we had played two days prior in the guise of our Men's team... 2 of the players from each side had been involved, so had a good idea of what to expect from their opposition.
Unfortunately things started going downhill from the off... Ben and Sam took the field as the first mens pair, and neither player really took the game to their opponents. they managed to pull back in the second game and pull out a 1-1 draw, but this seemed to set the tone for the evening.
Martin and Sam repeated the performance, finishing 1-1, and shifting Tracey out of her normal spot in both ladies, the team only took a single game from the 4 on offer there. 3-5 at the end of the levels, but the hope was to come through strong on the mixed.
Pairs showed flashes of what they were capable of, dominating the rallies at times, but consistently 'not quite getting there'. It was a real shame to see the scoreline just slipping away as pairings the team felt that they should have won lacked the expected results... Andrea and Ben lost both to Loughborough's teenage talent, Sam and Ruth also lost both to their opposing pair. Martin and Tracey were able to go 1-1 against their opponents in the first mixed, unfortunately bringing the team to 4-10, and the victory now beyond their reach.
A small fight back lead to an overall 11-7 loss that the captain correctly attributed to several players 'not turning up'... It happens, but it is certainly frustrating when you walk off court knowing you could have, should have, and probably would have turned in a different result on a different day.
Still very much in the mix for the league, here's hoping that the team can return to form on their next outing.