Grafton wins Millennium Cup for the first time

League Results

2009 LEAGUE	Grafton LTC	Norbury Park LTC	Telford Park LTC	Wigmore LTC	Woodfield Grove TC	TOTAL POINTS
Grafton LTC		8	4	6	6	24
Norbury Park LTC	1		2	6	6	15
Telford Park LTC	5	7		5	6	23
Wigmore LTC	3	3	4		2	12
Woodfield Grove TC	3	3	3	7		16

The five clubs in Streatham, south west London, contest the Millennium Cup every year and competition is pretty hot.

Founded in 2001, the Millennium Cup has been providing an opportunity for members to get a taste of playing matches in a friendly environment and it has been a goal of Murray Sutton’s to secure the trophy for Grafton since taking over as his club’s representative on the Organising Committee three years ago.

When his team came through a close final battle with Telford Park Lawn Tennis Club, Murray breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

“I’d like to dedicate this to my mother, and all the Mums who introduce their kids to tennis and make it possible for them to play this wonderful game,” he said as he received the glass vase from Millennium Cup Chair and Tournament Director, Barbara Wancke.

“I know it sounds a bit corny but the Mums are so often forgotten!”

The competition involves players who do not ordinarily play for their clubs in county events and so gives them an opportunity to compete in matches at a local level.

In order to keep the standard equitable, the Committee, which has representatives from each of the participating clubs sitting on it, agrees with each club to exclude specific team players.

Clubs have to find players to compete in the following disciplines at each tie played over the summer:

Singles:

• 16 & Under Boys
• 16 & Under Girls
•  Men’s Open (no age restriction)
•  Women’s Open (no age restriction)
•  45 & Over Men’s
•  40 & Over Women’s

Doubles:

• Men’s (no age restrictions)
• Women’s (no age restrictions)
• Mixed (no age restrictions)

The preliminary competition is played on a league basis, with each club playing all the others and the two top finishers competition in the September final.

Grafton faced off against Telford Park, with only one point separating them in the league, while Woodfield Grove Tennis Club came third, followed by Norbury Park and Wigmore LTCs.

On a beautiful and still autumnal day on Saturday 19 September, the final got under way at 10.30 am and it would take several hours to resolve.

Natalie Lyons and Steve Grant were the first winners, defeating the mixed doubles pairing of Loraine Pereira and Ryan Collins 6-3 6-2 to kick off Grafton’s score.

Telford Park’s Under 16 boy, Silas Webb, proved too strong for Ross Lambdon, winning 6-2 6-4 to level the match score.

Meanwhile, in the men’s open category, Max Jones was slowly but surely reversing things against 17-year old Tumani Carayol who found his big forehand gradually dismantling after winning the opening set. Tumani slipped to 2-5 down in the decider and staged a fight-back for 4-5 and 5-6 before eventually capitulating to the Grafton player 6-7 6-3 7-5.

Grafton was pegged back to 2-all by Ella Griffith’s 6-2 6-0 win over Becky Stormer in the 16 & Under Girls age group as the ladies doubles, first on court, continued to do battle alongside.

After a little over two and a half hours, Grafton’s women’s doubles team of Kirtsty Ogilvie and Angelo Raynor wore down their opponents, Brigid Clark and Juliet Richardson 7-6 6-7 6-1.

The men’s doubles levelled proceedings again as Telford Park’s Simon Higgins and Joey Dwomczyck overcame a challenge from Raihan Mughal and Farhan Mughal 4-6 6-3 6-1.

The men’s Over 45s put Grafton ahead 5-3 when Rob Cumming convincingly dispatched Keith Lavender and Melanie Gibbs defeated Estelle Galez, both by identical scores, 6-2 6-1.

In the dead rubber the ladies Over 40s was eventually won by Nicky Fox when she outran Caroline Strallen 7-6 6-4 to conclude Grafton’s 6-3 victory at 4.30 pm.

“The Millennium Cup is a unique competition because it provides a sense of community among local clubs,” said Murray Sutton.

“We are delighted to win the competition this year and will be defending with all might next year!”

The brainchild of Barbara Wancke, then Secretary of Woodfield Grove Tennis Club, as a way to celebrate the new millennium and create activities for its growing membership, the Millennium Cup began as a means of drawing together the clubs in the neighbourhood.

Woodfield Grove had benefited from an £840,000 Sport England grant to completely refurbish its premises and re-opened its doors in October 1999, prompting other local clubs to apply for funding for similar development projects.

While the building works were in progress members played at neighbouring clubs.

“The Millennium Cup was a way of continuing the goodwill we had experienced from Telford Park and Wigmore clubs when ours was closed for rebuilding,” recalls Barbara.

“Our members were welcomed into their club sessions and social events and we made a lot of friends, so we wanted something to keep us all related.”

Each year the winning club receives a magnificent trophy commissioned from The Silver Tennis Collection.

The Millennium Cup trophy, which was donated by the three inaugural clubs in perpetuity, is a beautiful crystal vase centrepiece measuring 215 mm in height and 145 mm in diameter set on a wooden base with a silver sleeve.

“The trophy takes pride of place at the winning club for a year and makes the effort of competition all the more worthwhile,” says Barbara.

Results

For individual tie results > Click here