CUBaC Members Give Strong Performance at Cambridgeshire Restricted Tournament

Match report written by Finlay Smith, edited by Elizabeth Bratton

At the weekend, current CUBaC players Sylv, Simon, and Finlay - along with alumnus Cherizza - competed in the Cambridgeshire County Restricted Tournament.

First up was singles. Both Finlay and Simon got off to good starts, winning both of their first matches comfortably. Sylv faced a tough first-round match against the first seed and eventual tournament winner. Despite a hard-fought first end, Sylv lost the match in two ends.

In the next round of singles, Finlay continued his success, beating the fifth seed, whose score was in single digits. Sadly, Simon was beaten narrowly in his match, by the second seed.

Sylv bounced back from her first round to take both remaining group matches comfortably, in two ends each. Going into the quarter-finals, Finlay faced the first seed and home favourite. Unfortunately, this proved too much, as he lost in two very close ends. The score was 20-22 in both.

Then followed mixed doubles, in which Simon and Sylv paired up to face our coach Daniel Bates and his partner. Experience proved to be crucial, as Daniel's side won the match in two straight games. A similar fate awaited the CUBaC pair in the next match, leading to the end of the first day of competition.

The second day saw the arrival of Cherizza, who was playing women's doubles with Sylv. On adjacent courts, the two men and women's CUBaC pairs began their first matches. Sylv and Cherizza were successful in beating their opponents, securing a semi-final position. Finlay and Simon couldn't produce their best games, and were beaten convincingly in straight games.

The final group round saw both the men and women's pairs facing the first seeds. Sadly, neither pair was able to pull off an upset victory. Finishing second in their group, Sylv and Cherizza played in the semi-final against the second seeds. Despite an amazing first end to the match, they lost after three close games.

The tournament was, overall, a confident start to the season, which saw several successes from the CUBaC team!