From: The Racketeer 19, June 1996
West Bridgford Beaten
by Andy Lusis
IF YOU were not at the club on Thursday 20th June, you will be unable to say 'I was there' on the day that our men's team overcame the might of West Bridgford. Admittedly, the team was helped by the fact that one of the opposing players turned up nearly an hour late, causing the visitors to concede two sets, indeed had he turned up four minutes later, under League rules, our team would have won the match anyway.
It was also true that Bridgford did not turn out a team studded with county stars, but the Mapperley Park team was not at full strength either. To add to the drama, Duncan Burd had lost a vital piece of equipment and took to the court with John Broomfield's spare racket. Nevertheless, the team did marvellously well; John partnering Mark Fletcher added two more sets to the two the visitors had conceded, Tim Setchfeld and Brad Payne won one and a half sets, Duncan with Adam Richardson took four and a half sets, including two in the last round, which clinched the match, giving Mapperley Park a 10-8 victory.
This is our first ever win against West Bridgford's first team. It follows the hard-fought 9½-8½ defeat of their second team in the first match of the season. Unfortunately the second match, a closely-contested struggle against Boots, ended in defeat. Boots, who have also beaten West Bridgford's first team, now look like favourites for the championship. Surprisingly, West Bridgford, who have never been out of Division 1 since the League began in 1924, seem to be in trouble. But for Mapperley Park, the prospects look brighter than anyone could have hoped for before the start of the season.