It’s been a while!
Last year Northamptonshire was under water and although I tried to reschedule the 2024 tournament for April 2025, I wasn't able to make it happen. So while Covid 19 never stopped us, climate change did.
On the bright side, the delay gave our hosts, Northampton County Lawn Tennis Club another year to impress us with their ever-improving facilities. They've added a Padel court and completely refurbished the bar area. I can't ever see myself hosting the tournament at my own club—NCLTC makes my tennis club look like an afterthought!
First and foremost, I would like to thank all of our sponsors, many of whom generously carried their support over from last year's event that never happened. Thanks to their kindness, every player's entry fee became a charitable donation allowing us to raise £480 for those less fortunate than ourselves within our industry. The total was boosted this year by a very generous contribution from Ray Williams, whose name appears on many of our trophies. Thank you, Ray.
Many thanks also to Fedrigoni for providing a scrumptious lunch—although I will be having words, as the delicious smoked salmon topped with prawns in cocktail sauce was sadly absent! Thanks also to PCL Avery for sponsoring the court hire and bar cover; Premier Paper for supplying the tennis balls and Mondi Paper for the flowers.
Because of the generosity of all these sponsors, we are delighted to be sending £480 to PICT. It never feels like a huge amount but every little helps.
Finally a big thank you to Kerry Cotter from PCL Avery who was unfortunately unable to take part this year due to injury. We were, however, incredibly grateful for all her help throughout the day, not least in her role as our official photographer.
As always, the traditional "before" photo shows that we were once again blessed with perfect tennis weather: warm, dry and pleasantly cloudy.
JV
To the tennis...
Both pairs of last year's finalists were missing one of their partners this time around. Paul Williams, having lost Steve Maher, teamed up with Paul Atkins, while John thought he’d lost Matt Kidd, invited his son Liam to play. As it turned out, Matt became available again closer to the date and paired up with Andrew Veasey to create an all Premier partnership.
The round-robin stage unfolded brilliantly with nine pairs competing. The format worked perfectly. The top four progressed to the Penman Trophy semi-finals, the next four contested the Johnston Cup semi-finals, and the ninth-placed pair, Lee Ewins & Emma Oliver won the coveted Wooden Spoon.
The Johnston Cup
For the Johnston Cup, the two semi-finals, were Mark & Martin v Sam & Wesley and Huss & Mo v Olly & Pete. The Premier versus Fedrigoni clash was one that deserved to be televised. It was an absolute thriller that seemed destined never to end, with Mark & Martin eventually edging it 7–5. It was a fantastic match to watch. In the other semi-final, Mark & Martin proved too strong for Sam & Wes running out comfortable 6–1 winners.
With a single-set final agreed upon, Mark & Martin once again showed their quality. Although the final was a little one-sided, they were thoroughly deserving Johnston Cup champions.
The Penman Trophy
The Penman Trophy semi-finals saw father and son, Liam & John Vic take on the newly formed pairing of Paul Atkins & Paul Williams. The other semi-final featured JL & Stephanie v Andrew & Matt.
Liam & John fell a game behind early on but soon found their rhythm and eventually ran out 6–1 winners. A score line that was probably a little kinder than the match deserved.
The second semi-final was a much closer contest, with JL & Stephanie progressing after a hard-fought 6–4 victory.
The final between Liam & John and JL & Stephanie was a much closer affair than the 6–1 score suggests. There were plenty of long rallies and competitive games but the victors managed to take the important points when they mattered most.
John admitted to being extremely proud to have two "Vics" engraved on the Penman Trophy but suspected it might be a one off!
All Trophies were presented by the Charity’s President, James Ovenden.
Johnston Cup Winners: Mark Davis & Martin Skelcey
Penman Trophy Winners: Liam & John Vic
Wooden Spoon Winners: Lee Ewins & Emma Oliver
Our final image from the day features the quartet of lovely ladies who joined us, receiving flowers from our President James in appreciation of their support.
Once again, our sincere thanks go to NCLTC for being such wonderful hosts, to everyone who took part, and to all our sponsors and volunteers who helped make the day such a success.
We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2026, hopefully with plenty of new faces joining us.
If the numbers continue to grow, it would be great to revive the post-tournament dinner and presentation evening that we managed to hold once before.
JV