Phyllis Court beat Camerton & Peasedown 6-1 in GC Inter-Club Championship quarter-final (9 July)

Phyllis Court scored a resounding 6-1 victory in Somerset today, in their quarter-final of the GC Inter-Club Championship.

Complying with Covid-19 precautionary guidance, the Henley side travelled to the Camerton and Peasedown Club, west of Bath, in four separate cars.

On arrival the hosts had prepared their facilities and the match arrangement in exemplary fashion, and in line with the CA guidance for these extraordinary times in which we are living.

Phyllis Court got off to a lack-lustre start to the match and Camerton & Peasedown were buoyed by some early successes, but as the match wore on, the visitors recovered well to win in good style.

Phyllis Court were without their top ranked player Charlie von Schmieder and number five Ian Norris, who were absent with work commitments and sickness respectively, and their top pair for this match, Raouf Allim and Chris Roberts, struggled on the unpredictable surface of the hosts' court which had suffered during the very dry lockdown period.

The long journey affected Allim badly and he was plagued by the return of the back injury that ruined the latter part of his 2019 season and this seriously affected his play in the morning as C&P's steady play of Colin Britt and Mo Boys capitalised to win the doubles rubber 7-5, 3-7, 7-6.

Phyllis Court's fortunes were rescued in the morning session by a 7-5, 7-4 straight-games win for Roger Golding over Brian Wilson and the closest possible of victories by Helena Fensome (a late replacement for Ian Norris) 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 over Ros Key-Pugh.

Camerton and Peasedown continued to put up a very good fight in the afternoon session but Phyllis Court extended their match lead with Roberts' 7-5, 7-6 defeat of Boys, just moments before Allim secured the fixture with the disposing of Britt 7-4, 7-5.

Goldring and Fensome both had to work hard for victories that iced the cake for Phyllis Court and both needed third deciding game wins to defeat Key-Pugh and Wilson, 6-7, 7-3, 7-1 and 7-6, 4-7, 7-2 respectively.

Phyllis Court will travel to face Nottingham in the National semi-final on a date to be decided, but likely to be in early August.

Results (Phyllis Court names first):

Raouf Allim & Chris Roberts lost to Colin Britt & Mo Boys 5-7, 7-3, 6-7

Roger Goldring beat Ros Key-Pugh 7-5, 7-4

Helena Jansson beat Brian Wilson 7-6, 6-7, 7-6

Raouf Allim (-3) beat Colin Britt (-1) 7-4, 7-5

Chris Roberts (-2) beat Mo Boys (3) 7-5, 7-6

Roger Goldring (-1) beat Ros Key-Pugh (3) 6-7, 7-3, 7-1

Helena Jansson (2) beat Brian Wilson (3) 6-7, 7-4, 2-7