Herts Hat Trick at South of England Masters
Isobel Smith (Nuffield), Louisa Dalwood (Nuffield) and Eamonn Price (Harpenden) all took titles at the weekend in the above event.
Isobel, in the Ladies O55 event, caused a huge upset by decisively knocking out the multiple Champion and Number 1 seed, Mandy Akin (3-0) in the quarter final. She continued her winning streak, playing great lengths and accurate drop shots to reach the final and then to take the title in the fifth from Fran Wallis, the “most successful lady player on the England Regional circuit”. Three fantastic wins, two hard-fought five set matches and a well-deserved first regional Masters victory for Isobel.
In the O45 category, Louisa won through to play number 2 seed Sarah Parr in the semi finals. The match mirrored recent close battles with Louisa playing confidently and patiently to manage her first win (3-1) against Sarah to reach the final. Her opponent Sam Mueller subsequently conceded injured with Louisa deservedly taking the title.
Looking for his 18th Regional title, Eamonn (O55) had convincing wins over fellow Harpenden player Gary Raw and Darren Withey (BUX) in earlier rounds to meet long-standing rival Alex Betts in the final. Betts started aggressively and took the first game before Eamonn responded with improved lengths and a tight short game which secured another win (3-1).
Click on photo to start gallery
