2025 Billy Ross Skinner

Last weekend Hatfield once again played host to the Billy Ross Skinner Invitational Mixed Doubles tournament and as is always the case it was another superb event, with really high level tennis and some closely fought matches. The event brings together the top 16 lady players available and pairs them up with men of suitable handicaps to give every pair an equal chance of winning and as always that very much proved to be the case.

Day 1 on the Friday proved to be a tough day for both the competitors and Hatfield Pros as for the first time in many years we had issues with the court sweating. The combination of the sudden rise in temperature, along with a damp day and more people in the Club and more intense play, meant that despite our best efforts the court floor began to get slippery in certain parts. It was to the great credit of all the competitors that they played on throughout, taking more care than usual, especially with running up the court but with the Pros dry towelling the court between every match we managed to keep play going and get all the matches played, which was crucial with no space in the schedule if matches couldn't be completed.

Form pairs from day 1 were undoubtedly Ulla Petti & Simon Edmond, who made it through to the Quarter-Final for the loss of only 6 games from their 2 matches and Izzy Marshall & Oskar Knötschke, who won both their matches in straight sets, Izzy being particularly consistent and controlled and after Oskar's performance last year, getting better and better as the tournament progressed on his way to the final, they looked to be very strong contenders to win the whole event. Also making it through to the Quarter-Finals via the repechage format were Clare Bucknell & Martin Richards, who despite losing 6/1 6/1 to Ulla & Simon, won their second match convincingly and then battled through one of the tightest matches in the event 5/6 6/5 6/3 against Sophie Dannreuther & Geoffrey Russell. The final pair to make it through from Friday was Katie Leppard & Henry Stuttaford, who were probably the pair most effected by the court conditions, with Henry's usual extreme speed around court negated by the potentially slippery floor, meaning he had to play well within himself so the fact they made it through made them a dangerous pair given the hopefully better conditions come the weekend.

Saturday mercifully the court was in a much better state. The Pros still watched anxiously in case things changed but luckily that wasn't the case so playing conditions returned to normal which made for some excellent tennis. There were less clear cut winners of the 2 groups on Saturday, with most of the matches either going to 3 sets or being tight 2 set matches but the pairs with 2 wins out of 2 were Tara Lumley & Tom McNeilis, who made it through without dropping a set and Izzy Green & Faustas Vilimas, who battled their way through 2 very hard fought matches to reach the Quarter-Final. The final 2 pairs via the repecharge were Saskia Bollerman & Ben Geytenbeek, who after a surprisingly slow start in their first round, won their next 2 matches 6/1 6/3 to make it through and Alexandra Bryant and Hugo van der Meer, who likewise lost their first match but went from strength to strength from then on and also looked like they could go deep in the tournament based on the very impressive form of their final match.

So to Sunday and to everyone's relief the court was again in great condition, allowing everyone to go at it at full pace but it ended up being quite a strange day in comparison to many previous years, as although most matches were closer than the scores sound, there had been no 3 set matches until we got to the final. The Semi-Finals epitomised this strange trend as Clare Bucknell & Martin Richards, who had been superb in their Quarter-Final 6/2 6/4 win over Tara Lumley & Tom McNeilis, got rather taken apart in the Semi-Final 6/0 6/0 against Katie Leppard & Henry Stuttaford, due in large part to spending most of the match at the Hazard end, as Henry scampered around getting absolutely everything back at the back of the court, no doubt enjoying the safer court conditions and Katie dealt with absolutely everything thrown at her as they dominated from start to finish. The other Semi-Final was a lot closer than the score of 6/2 6/2 suggests but Ulla Petti & Simon Edmond continued their excellent form with the victory over Saskia Bollerman & Ben Geytenbeek, who themselves had been brilliant in their Quarter-Final victory over Izzy Marshall & Oskar Knötschke 6/4 6/3, to complete the Final lineup.

Despite the fact that Ulla & Simon were the unbeaten pair and had only actually dropped 16 games in the 4 matches they had played, it was Katie & Henry who were deemed to be the favourites going in to the Final on the basis of their absolutely ruthless and faultless display in the Semi-Final and it seemed that they would continue where they left off taking the first set 6/2 in relatively comfortable style and 1 set away from victory that would have been Katie's third in the event, joining a very exclusive list to have achieved that. The second set was much tighter though as Ulla & Simon, now spending more time at the service end, which is so crucial in this event, moving 3/1 up only for Katie and Henry to bring it back to 3/3 and then nudge 4/3 ahead, now just 2 games away from clinching the title. A tight 40/40 game brought it back to 4/4 before Ulla & Simon moved back ahead 5/4 and the crowd, who were loving the entertainment this superb match was now producing were hopeful of a deciding set to bring even more entertainment. Ulla & Simon then moved 40-0 up to make it look even more likely but Katie & Henry weren't about to surrender the set like that and having regained the serving end, battled back to 40-40 before having gone back down the receiving end, a force from Henry to the Dedans brought an error from Simon to send the set to 5/5. It was a surprise to no-one that yet again we went to 40-40 bringing set point to one pair and match point to the other and after an excellent cut return of serve from Simon led to a slightly uncharacteristic error from Henry and a final set it was!

With the final set starting at 3/3 it was Ulla & Simon who took the initiative moving 4/3 and then 5/3 ahead, just 1 game away from what earlier had looked an unlikely win. The momentum firmly behind them they weren't to be denied, taking the final game to love to become much deserved champions but credit to all 4 players on a superb final. Both Ulla & Katie were extremely consistent, playing up at the serving end but more than holding their own and picking up some incredible gets when at the Hazard end.

Huge thanks as always to Clare Bucknell & Paul Bollerman for all their incredible work with the organisation, making up the pairings so effectively, making sure everyone knew when they were required, especially with the slightly confusing format they have inherited from previous years and the recent addition or reintroduction of the tournament dinner, which 24 players and spectators attended, adding another layer to what is an incredibly sociable and vibrant event that Hatfield thoroughly enjoy hosting. Thanks also go to the LRTA for running the event and all their support, Jesters, The Dedanists Foundation and Pol Roger for their sponsorship and particularly Sarah Sullivan & Liz Fisher and their team of helpers who really do make our Club and this event unique with the fantastic food and hospitality they lay on throughout the 3 days and without which the event would just not be the same!