The 2s 2022 Varsity Matches

The 2/3/4/5/6s 2022 Varsity Matches

YearM2W2M3W3M4W4M5M6
202215-311-1016-510-115-1614-714-717-4

M2- Grasshoppers

Captain: Robert Paraoan (Trinity)

Team:

S1: Louis shaw

S2: Julian Homann

S3: Adam Roberts

S4: Cam Burnett 

S5: Robert Paraoan 

S6: Lucas Cury

D1: Louis Shaw and Julian Homann

D2: Robert Paraoan and Cam Burnett

D3: Tom Burke and Adam Roberts

With injuries and internships taking away some of our players just weeks before our varsity match, we were stretched thin and uncertain as to how the weekend would pan out. However, with our number 2 seed Julian heroically playing with his back injury, we had just enough. I’m short, we gave Oxford a hammering and by the end of the first day had almost won already with the score as 10-2. We finished the job quickly the next day before the rain was scheduled to come, with the final score 15-3. Of particular note was our third doubles pair managing to take down Oxford’s first pair who had until then been dominant in the doubles. Also Julian managing to manoeuvre past his missing backhand due to injury to beat our opposing number 1 in a nail-biting match.

W2- Ladybirds

Captain: Martha Rushbrooke (St Catharine’s)

Sunday 26th came around. After a week of hard partying, (correction: hard training) the Ladybirds were ready. The Fenner’s grass was suitably dry and spirits were high. 

The first and second rounds of singles came and went, with hardly fought matches leaving Cambridge 4-2 up, with a particular shoutout to Toma for a hard fought singles, lost in a champions tiebreak. Then came the doubles. Unfortunately even Andy’s tough volleying boot-camp could not keep Oxford from taking an almost clean sweep across 5 out of 6 matches. Fortunately, buoyed by support from the home crowd Elys and Martha came out triumphant against the number 3 Oxford seeds, leaving Cambridge 7-5 down at the end of the first day. 

Nerves were high on day 2, with Cambridge left with ground to make up. Fortunately the pressure was not going to get to the Ladybirds, not on our own (now even dryer) turf. With the threat of rain looming, the team came through to win 5 out of 6 of the singles, only let down by their captain, taken to pieces by the Oxford number 1 (sorry team). 

Going into the last round of doubles, the rain had so far held off and Cambridge needed one more rubber out of the three. But, needless to say, we had proved ourselves slightly lacking in the doubles compartment. Nail-biting tennis left all three matches going to championship tie-breaks. However, whoops from the middle court revealed a come-back launched by Emma and Isabella, the number 2 pair, leaving the Ladybirds to take the rubber and the varsity. Elation all round. 

Thank you goes out to the Oxford team, who were well-mannered and great sports throughout, and great people to join for a post-varsity feast at Zizzi. Thank you too to all those involved in organising the day and to the groundsmen of Fenner’s, whose hard work was greatly appreciated.