The sixth and final Regional Tournament at Grove Park, Stockport attracted 126 entrants, a little bit down on normal, but expected as a lot of International places had been decided.  

For 2016, all Regionals including Grove Park, will be scheduled before the British Closed in February to offset this problem.

In the M070/75, missing a host of top players, Adrian Wright, Mike Clemson Graham Fisher and Brian Hardcastle, William Wilson had it all to himself, losing a mere 12 points in three matches.

MO65 – Big play off situation, lots of politics, as 5 players were eligible for the last International spot including late newcomer Ian Graham. Plenty of people still think it’s the top six in points. It’s not. The rule is, top four in points and then the ‘selectors’ have a cherry pick as long as the players involved have played in two events, including an Open or Closed. This applies across the board.

In the event, Ian Graham beat Rod Boswell and Martin Pearse came back from a heavy deficit  to outlast Alan Hendry 4/9  9/7  9/4 9/7. The playoff saw Graham lead 2-0 and 4-0 before Pearse led 7-5, but Graham closed it out for his cap. 

Terry Norman just dropped Aubrey Waddy to death, but Aubrey doesn’t understand the word ‘losing’ and sneaked in 10/8  10/9  9/10  9/6. Norman broke, just! Barry Featherstone was all at sea, losing the first two to Graham, but eventually his  conditioning  , paid off with a very hard fought 9/4  9/5  9/4  finale. The Final saw Waddy sneak the crucial points over his long standing rival, winning 7/9  9/5  9/0  9/7.

MO60, missing Alexander Cowley and Drysdale from the Top 4 saw Stuart Hardy easily record victories over Paul Vale and Geoff Walton, but in the bottom half a big play off for sixth place between Geoff Redfern, Paul Reader and Alistair Niven. Reader beat Niven to go head to head with Redfern who won 9/3  0/9  9/5  9/1 and then for good measure, beat Ian Holmes, ruby faced as ever, 9/1  2/9  7/9  9/5  9/4. The Final was nip and tuck but Hardy scraped in 3/9  10/8  9/6  10/8.

MO55 - With players missing in this group as well, Neil Harrison cruised through to the Final, whilst in the bottom half, Ian Bradburn took out George Kousseff, an outside bet for a reserve spot in the Home Internationals 9/1  9/1  3/9  9/2. Then he beat Kevin O’Neill 3-1 and played himself back into the England team after not only total ankle reconstruction, but recovery from a very serious illness. Well done!

MO50 - Very tight here with the non playing Captain orchestrating his troops from his Mayfair office.

The top four in points are Messrs Parkes, Withey, Burke and Gray. Then in contention for an England spot are Colin Payne, Murray Scott, Mark Hildred and Peter Lonsdale. Selectors choice. All will be revealed later... 

In the event itself, a massive match saw Parkes, court coverer supreme, just nudge 

David Gray 9/7 in the fifth. Stuart Wardle beat Peter Lonsdale 7/9  8/10  6/9  but went down 0-3 to Ray Burke. The Final was a lengthy very fast affair with Burke edging through 9/3  1/9  4/9  9/7  7/9.

MO45 was a small draw, but some great matches. Glen Ragou, as amazing as ever considering his chemotherapy, is subject to a BBC documentary about his incredible courage and resilience, and he  beat Steve Dodridge 6/11  13/11  11/6  7/11, before taking the British no 2, Andrew Cross, to 9/11  11/8  14/12  6/11  1/11. All in one day! And these courts are hot, so unless it is a direct nick, all is retrievable. Well for them anyway!

The Final saw the National Champion Yawar Abbas and Andrew Cross, with the latter gaining some revenge for his National loss, winning 9/11  11/4  8/1  9/11.

MO40 - Two newcomers contested the Final as the top four were all away so to speak, and Masambo Selisho, as last year, won 11/9  13/11  11/5, against Jonathan Davies.

MO35 – A strong draw here with National Champion, Darren Lewis on show for the first time at a Regional. He was a tiny kid when I left Leicester but doesn’t time fly? And what a player (as a famous England Masters International’s fan club used to call out after every rally he played in South Africa).

Lewis, 35, beat James Goodrich (much older now) 11/3  10/12  11/7  11/7, whilst for an England play off, Tim Richards overcame Ali Coker 1/13  11/4  11/4, in a match littered with some controversial decisions. But Richards deserved it, as on the day he was the better player. He lost to Nick Wall, another refugee from the 40’s, 8/11  8/11  11/7  7/11.

The Final was a great match to watch, both top 100 circuit players at one time or another, Wall, consistently professional and Lewis, unbelievable length and back hand volley kills... In the end, Lewis won through 6/11  11/4  11/7  9/11  11/6 – a great match played in a friendly competitive spirit.

WO55 saw a quad draw, playing off for two International places. Lesley Sturgess beat Sue Pynegar 9/7 in the fifth, but both beat Karen Hume and Jane Law, so Sturgess and Pynegar it is for the 3/4  places (in a 3 Woman Team).

WO50/45/40 combined. Rachel Woolford shaded Pippa Green the new O50 captain, 11/6  11/6  5/11  12/10 and Kay Fallows beat Alison Gray 12/10  11/7  11/0. In the Final, Woolford cemented her England spot  11/4  9/11  8/11  11/6  11/8.

WO35 – Judith Allgrove needed to beat Natalie Townsend to secure her place, and she duly delivered, 13/11  11/4  11/5 and also won 3-0 v both Kate Bradshaw and Krissy Burkin. Well done!

Many thanks to Roz and Brian for all their work and organisation:

Grove Park: Chairman Andy Light, Paul Vale and Dudley Bostock, Noel Gill, Dave Cochrane, Alistair and Sean, Maggie and the catering and bar staff. 

The Referees: Steve Eccles, Tony Parker, Joss Garvey, Dave Easton, Ged Shields.

The Sponsors: Best Western Pinewood Hotel (John Scott), Total Fitness for their courts (Michael Pennington), Mark Davenport, Bar Code Recruitment (Ben Harris), iPro Sports (Andy Murray), CourtCare (Richard Ingle).