England CA Team Win The 29th McWeeny Trophy (by Paul Rigge, 17/07/11)

Fylde hosted the 29th McWeeny Trophy between the CA and the CAI.  The Vera McWeeney Trophy is travelling back down to Cheltenham, after being retained by this year”s CA squad at Fylde CC, this was the 29th time that England has played Ireland with both having previously held the title fourteen times, England now having the bragging rights 15-14.  The McWeeny trophy is named after Vera McWeeny, an irish journalist who championed womens involvement in sport.  She represented Ireland in Hockey, Squash, Tennis and Croquet.

With the overnight score of 13-10 in our favour, it should have been an easy morning”s work to secure the final point required for victory in the last round of doubles outstanding before the visitors left for the airport for their lunchtime flight.  However they seemed to dominate most of the play and it appeared at times that only Irish players had turned up since they were occupying all three courts, indeed there was much speculation that if the three doubles went the wrong way, to level the score, the “dead” singles game from Saturday would have to be played after lunch (Burnett vs Morrison).  This proved unnecessary with the final three scores all being secured in timed games, final result; 15-11 after some very nervy play with single yard roquets being missed and wrong balls being played.

The weather was cold, windy, wet and miserable, just the opposite in fact of Fylde CC”s hospitality, that was nothing short of superb; They acted as taxi”s from/to the airport. The club was bedecked with appropriate bunting and national flags.  Local press came down for interviews and pictures that made both the front page and all of page 3 on Saturday (do not ask who modelled for the p3 shot! – no don”t!).  They billeted all the visitors with club members including feeding and watering them for the weekend.  New solid friendships were made this weekend. The Irish were a delight and both teams played in excellent sprit.

Singles: Nathaniel Healy beat James Hawkins 15; Bob Burnett beat Robert Barklie 9; Lee Hartley beat Jane Morrison 16; Michael O”Shaughnessy beat David Roe 16; Ben Reeves Smith beat Brian Lewis 8; Peter Wilson beat Jack Clingan 5; Lee Hartley beat Nathaniel Healy 8; James Hawkins beat Robert Barklie 14; Michael O”Shaughnessy beat Brian Lewis 22; Peter Wilson beat Ben Reeves Smith 10t; Jack Clingan beat David Roe 11; Bob Burnett beat Nathaniel Healy 5; Lee Hartley beat Robert Barklie 8; Jane Morrison beat James Hawkins 2; Peter Wilson beat Michael O”Shaughnessy 26; David Roe beat Ben Reeves Smith 8; Jack Clingan beat Brian Lewis 13.
Doubles: Healy & Clingan beat Hartley & Roe 26; Hawkins & Wilson beat Barklie & Reeves Smith 22; Burnett & Lewis beat Morrison & O”Shaughnessy 19; Healy & Clingan beat Burnett & Lewis 17; Barklie & Reeves Smith beat Hartley & Roe 14; Hawkins & Wilson beat Morrison & O”Shaughnessy 12; Healy & Clingan beat Alan Pidcock* & Wilson 2t; Burnett & Lewis beat Barklie & Reeves Smith 1t; Hartley & Roe beat Morrison & O”Shaughnessy 1t; *Alan Picock was substituted for James Hawkins on Sunday Morning.