First in the running order, the University of Nottingham Tennis Club came into this Super Wednesday Varsity fixture primed from an excellent season. Remaining largely unbeaten across the university year, the strong form of UoN’s players was evident in their 11-5 victory over Trent.
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Arriving at the Lee Westwood Sports Centre, each of UoN’s tennis teams were hoping for a repeat of last year’s 14-6 Varsity win. UoN had the opportunity to start off Super Wednesday in style, and extend on strong Varsity 2017 performances.
The first round of matches saw the mixed doubles teams step onto court, and each match up began in energetic fashion. On court 1, UoN rallied early on to take the first set 4-2, and some close quarters net play from the pairing played a strong part in their lead. Rapid-fire rallies from UoN on court 2 saw them swiftly win their match against Trent, with courts 1, 3 and 4 soon following suit.
After claiming the 4-0 lead, the UoN Ladies singles took to court, keen to follow up with solo performances. Beginning with the same intensity as their counterparts before them, the all-round play of UoN’s players on each court was impressive. Courts 2, 3 and 4 centred on baseline exchanges, with Trent’s players rallying hard to come back from their first-round loss.
Court 1 saw a hard-fought battle between the UoN and Trent players, with the crowd playing their part in a match that lasted well beyond the others. The tightly run contest came down to the last set, and was decided through powerful service games from UoN, eventually forcing an error from Trent. The victory set the score at a confident 7-1, as the Men’s singles began their warm ups.
Following this, Trent threw everything they had at UoN’s Men, with high quality rallies on display on the courts. However, the Green and Gold responded in kind, striking back to decisively claim a clean sweep of wins. Another match went the distance on court 1, and UoN finished the round at 11-1.
The grit and determination UoN showed was truly tested during the last round, the Men’s and Ladies’ doubles, with Trent digging deep to power back and finish strong. Across the courts, UoN’s teams fought for every point, but Trent have to be given credit for the way they responded to end the day with an 11-5 scoreline.
UoN were unlucky here, but a dominant performance from UoN Tennis Club assured Varsity victory, and puts more points on the board for what is shaping up to be a strong Varsity 2017 performance on the whole.
Malcolm Wilson
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