The first match of the Summer season at Andover Lawn Tennis Club even more welcome than usual after all matches were cancelled last year.
The club has two teams in the First Division of the Basingstoke League and the match between the two has to be the first played, so internal rivalries were explored in a competitive but friendly match at the club’s Balksbury courts.
The KJM sponsored A team was made up of the youngest player, Kyrill Kennett, with the most experienced, Shaun McDonald and Coach George Beare playing with Alex Boldis.
The A team first pair of Kennett and McDonald took on B team captain Morgan Jameson and Reece Simpson. Kennett’s powerful serving and groundstrokes were well complemented by McDonald’s superb volleying. In spite of good play from Jameson and Simpson, the A team pair too often had the final shot and they came out winners 6-0, 6-2.
The A team second pair, George Beare and Alex Boldis, meanwhile, took on Harvey Stuart and Milan Garbuja. Beare and Boldis won the first set comfortably but were made to dig deep in the second set with much athletic retrieving on both sides of the net. They eventually came through, 6-0, 7-6.
In the opposite games, Kennett and McDonald started smoothly in control winning the first set 6-0, but they too had to fight in the second set which went to Stuart and Garbuja 6-4.
Beare and Booldis ,having had their competitive spirits rouised were full of confidence and although Jameson and Simpson both hit a lot of great shots, the A team pair generally had the best of the exchanges and won through 6-0, 6-2.
The A team won overall by 7 sets to 1 but both teams will be ready for further competition against the other top clubs.
Trevor Blake
