From: The Racketeer 20, August 1996
Drama on Court One
by Andy Lusis
AMID SCENES of unprecedented drama, the Men's first team maintained their excellent run in Division 1 with a home win against Retford on Sunday 28th July. With the score far from comfortably in our favour at 7-5, the teams began the final round of rubbers. On court one John Broomfield and Mark Fletcher faced a tough challenge against the lively Retford first pair, the Revill brothers. But hardly had the match started when one of the Retford couple made a wild dash to intercept a floating cross-court ball - unnecessarily as it turned out - and collapsed, with screams of agony and curses of frustration.
It was serious, but never let it be said that the members of Mapperley Park are not prepared for any crisis. While Cynthia Lindo stormed into a neighbouring house for some ice, Barry Pitt, always at the cutting edge of the new technology, used his mobile phone to summon an ambulance. What at first had appeared to be a sprained ankle turned out to be a fracture. The unfortunate Retford player was wheeled off the court and rushed to the Queen's Medical Centre.
Retford's misfortune was compounded by the fact that they were forced to concede two sets. However, the result of the match was not affected; our other pairs, Duncan Burd and Jeremy Freemantle, Guillaume Collet and Robert Collins, won a total of three sets against the remaining Retford players.
This incident, in what has turned out to be a remarkable season for the Men's team, recalls the match against Boots, when it was Mapperley Park who suffered. In that match John Broomfield fell victim to severe cramp and was unable to play the last rubber. If he and Mark had won both sets, the match would have resulted in a 9-9 draw, rather than an 11-7 defeat. In the following match, against West Bridgford's first team, as if in compensation, one of the opposing players turned up over 30 minutes late, causing the visitors to concede two sets, which undoubtedly swung the match in our favour.
By beating Retford the team notched up its fourth win. In the previous match at Eastwood, despite having to contend with inferior courts and balls, our team of Jeremy Freemantle and Mark Fletcher, John Broomfield and Adam Richardson, and John Towlson and Andy Lusis, achieved a commendable 10-8 victory.
With only Woodthorpe left to play (on the 15th August), it looks as though we may finish as runners-up, a feat which would equal the club's best ever performance in 1952. Even though Boots, who, incidentally, have never won the summer league before, have lost one match, a win over Woodthorpe is unlikely to give us a good enough sets difference to take the title.
Most of our other teams have held their own. Two teams, despite undistinguished performances, achieved their highest ever league positions. The Ladies' team, in Division 2, won only two matches, and may still be relegated, but is certain to beat the previous 'best', seventh in 1951. With only one match drawn and the rest lost, the Mixed A team will be relegated from Division 3, but since that team has never reached such dizzy heights before, there is some consolation in the fact that even last place will be its highest final position.
LATE NEWS
The Men's lst team met a very strong Woodthorpe team in their last match of the season on Thursday August 15th, losing 15-3. But there is still a chance of finishing as runners-up.
Web note: We didn't.