The Trophy Presentation and Annual Dinner Dance is on Friday 22 September at the Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, organised by West Tanfield Club.
Photos of Finals Day can be seen in the Gallery.
The Annual Harrogate & District Tennis League Tournament took place 11-17 June 2017, with matches predominantly played at Harrogate Racquets Club, with some early rounds hosted by Harlow Tennis Club and Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre. New organiser and HDTL Chairman, Paul Evison, ensured fine weather all week, and some top standard tennis for the spectators. Harrogate Racquets Club sponsored the event, and provided all the tennis balls, manned the bar all week, and provided bacon butties and a BBQ on finals day, along with hot sunshine and clear blue skies.
The Tournament was first played back in 1933, and for 2017 over 100 HDTL players competed in nine events, culminating in a Finals Day on Saturday 17 June that everyone was looking forward to. The tournament allows players to choose their partner, and event, and sees parents playing with children, husbands with wives, coaches partnering protégés and friends partnering across clubs. Of the 19 clubs that play in the HDTL, 14 were represented in the tournament this year, and hopes were high at Almscliffe who had representation in three Finals events having never won an event since their club’s inauguration in 1913.
First on court on Finals Day in the Open Ladies Singles event were tournament newcomers Simone Carrick, a 14 year old Year 9 student at Harrogate High School; and 17 year old Kate Reader, a Business studies student at Selby College. Kate, who plays for Harrogate Racquets was the winner 6-2 6-0 against her Starbeck-based opponent. The Restricted Men’s singles event had a bigger age difference, with last year’s winner James Lofthouse, a 22 year old student, taking on U55 Harrogate Racquets player Rajiv Johar. James was able to win 6-4 6-0, and reclaim the title he first won in 2013. The Open Mens Doubles event saw last year’s winners, Academy-based birthday boy Richard Bancroft and coach Mat Parry taking on the Almscliffe pair of James Telford and Charlie Swallow. A loud and hard hitting two-setter saw the Almscliffe pair claim the club’s first ever tournament trophy 7-5 6-2.
The Restricted Mixed Doubles Event saw last years’ winners from West Tanfield Emma Hagues and Tim Simpson take on Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre’s Andrew Clayton and Carolyn Rothwell. After a long match in the heat of the day the West Tanfield A team pair won 7-5 7-5. The Open Ladies Doubles was an all Harrogate Racquets affair, with last year’s winners Audrey Henderson and Gillian Smail taking on Racquets’ coach Ellie Makin, and Open Singles winner Kate Reader. The newcomers won through 6-2 6-2. In the Open Men’s Singles event it was a guaranteed Almscliffe second trophy, but the winner was Chapel Allerton coach Charlie Swallow 7-5 6-2 over Durham and Oxford university post graduate gap year team mate James Telford.
In the Restricted Ladies Doubles event last year’s winners from Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre, Carolyn Rothwell and Marie Scrimger knew they had a tricky match on their hands against West Tanfield’s Emma Hagues and Dee North, who won through 6-4 6-2 to claim West Tanfield’s second title. The Restricted Mens Doubles event was an all Starbeck gathering of Carlos Gabaldon and Colin Lefley, who lost out 6-3 7-5 to John Berger and Chris White. The last match on court was a test of Charlie Swallow’s fitness as he partnered Accountant Jenny Telford for Almscliffe, against Harrogate Grammar School year 13 student Thomas Cameron, and Ellie Makin from Harrogate Racquets. The Almscliffe pair won 6-3 6-2 and netted a hat-trick of trophies for Almscliffe.
The HDTL Committee would like to thank all those who worked so hard to make the event a success, and continue the tradition of good tennis left as a legacy by our previous tournament organiser Oliver Scaife who sadly passed away in November 2016.
Event statistics
102 Entries from players in 14 clubs and 9 trophies awarded (no Restricted Ladies Singles in 2017)
Wetherby – 2
West Tanfield – 6 – won Restricted Mixed Doubles, Restricted Ladies Doubles
Thirsk – 5
Starbeck – 22 – won Restricted Mens Doubles
Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre – 9 – won Restricted Mens singles
Ripon – 6
Harrogate Racquets – 17 – Won Open Ladies Singles and Open Ladies Doubles
Masham – 2
Harlow – 3
Dacre - 2
Burton Leonard – 1
Boroughbridge – 7
Almscliffe – 3 – Won Open Mens Singles, Open Mens Doubles, Open Mixed Doubles
Academy - 16