Cambridgeshire v Middlesex Men’s Over 70s

Elated after the win against Sussex, the 70s travelled to play Middlesex. Because of the exorbitant London charges and lack of parking at the club, the team embarked on “The 70s Grand Tour” train journey.

Lugging laden tennis bags on the busy underground towards Holland Park brought some very quizzical looks from other passengers and by the time we’d scaled the mountainous route to Campden Hill LTC, we also wished we had a chauffeur to drop us off at the door (oh how the other half live). However, the club did live up to all our expectations with pristine courts, manicured gardens, and the odd member spluttering into their Pimm’s at the sight of outsiders daring not to wear all whites.

Noel Coward's words, "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun," rang true as the courts felt like a cauldron.

The Cambridge duos, Des Chalk with David Milburn, and Phil Eaves with Mike Dakin, started energetically and initially seemed dominant. However, as minor mistakes and double faults emerged, Middlesex's confidence soared. Soon, both their pairs overcame their deficits, securing the first sets 7-5 and 6-4, respectively. In the second set, the Cambridge 2nd pair quickly lost ground, and sought solace in the welcome shade.

The first pair however, intensified their play, pushing their match to yet another nail-biting tiebreak. Winning the first four points was akin to a fairytale. Sadly, the so-called Cambridge curse struck again, and the match finished like a scene from the Hammer House of Horror.

The prolonged, gruelling rallies in the searing heat exhausted the Cambridge team. No amount of quickly grabbed shade or cool water could alleviate their fatigue, and as our players wilted under the harsh sun, they were ultimately defeated by a team seemingly adept at drawing out the points.

The Cambridge team gave everything they could to the cause and despite their defeat, held their own against opponents, who once in their stride, rarely made winners but never made many mistakes either. I secretly wonder if the result would have been the same had Middlesex played the match in their lovely cool underground indoor courts.

Photo L-R. Mike Dakin, David Milburn, Des Chalk, Phil Eaves