Things are not looking good as I pull into the car park. The rain is falling steadily and the clouds are low and heavy. We really do not have time in the schedule for rain. Is it easing a little? not really, I am just kidding myself. Its now 6 O'clock, everyone has arrived and are waiting in the club house. Is it playable? I have played in worse, but not much. I'm thinking that we should wait, but people are bravely matching out to take up the challenge with a stoic glint in their eyes. That's the spirit. We occupy court 3 for our mens veterans doubles semi final. My partner is Antony, we up against the fearsome pairing of Rob Radford and Paul HT, and I have a feeling it is going to be close. I also have a feeling that I'm getting wet as the cruel rain continues to dampen the courts, but not the spirits of the hardy combatants spread across our 6 green rectangular battlegrounds. The warm-up is underway, and its not going well. I played particularly badly last night, apologies to Jackie Rossa, and my poor form is continuing. I command the ball to go where I am aiming, but it mocks me and sails 10 feet long, I command the rain to stop, and it does. I have more control of the weather than the tennis ball. Antony starts with a solid hold of serve, and soon we are two games up despite my woeful play. My first service game is predictably lost. Antony is suffering with a bad leg, and an even badder partner, but is managing to keep us in the set, scampering around the court with determination and a limp. At the other end Rob and Paul are giving nothing away as is to be expected. Four all comes and goes, and at last my play is improving. We are five four up and have a set point on the Radford serve, but it is lost, and as seemed inevitable from the very start, we are soon into a tie break. Five-two down, we show the flair, skill and imagination of the England football team (joke) to storm back and take the first set. Most of the other matches around us have already finished. Three sets would take all night, and Antony and Rob both have another match to play.
The second set starts in the same fashion with some hard fort games, but we are spurred on with shouts of encouragement from the crowd such as "Hurry up" and "Get on with it". Buoyed by this support we start to win game after game, I am serving for the match, we win, and I'm into my first ever final.
Standing in the club house with a glass of Bombardier, I look out to see Antony and Rob locked in battle again, but with the far more glamorous partners of Louise and Julie. It looks like that will also be an epic, and it was, but that's another story.
Results and Thursdays schedule is up. I hope to have the finals weekend schedule published early on Friday evening.
