After an encouraging 2-2 draw at home to

Crosshaven A in their first Munster Winter

league game Ardfield/Rathbarry tennis club

travelled to Tralee for their second game.

Showing three changes from the first match,

the team made the long drive to Tralee, the

home club boasted four neat courts

overlooked by the Kerry Mountains and

flanked by a very busy by-pass that offered

sufficient distractions to remind the visitor’s

that they are spoilt in Ardfield with the

coastal, rural and comparatively isolated

location.

Play commenced in the middle of a rain-storm

and on reflection it took a while for the

Ardfield/Rathbarry players to come to terms

with the conditions, setting and the strength

of their opponents who emerged victorious in

all four games.

In the ladies doubles Elaine Connolly and

Hilary Bennett took their match into a third

set decider losing before losing a tight contest

6-1, 4-6, 6-4. In the gent’s doubles Tom

Scanlon and Nick Smith lost in straight sets

6-0, 7-6, the second set was as close as the

score suggests and had it gone into a third set

who knows what might have happened. In the

two mixed doubles that followed, again the

home team proved too strong with Hilary and

Tom losing 6-3, 6-2 with Elaine and Nick

going down in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.

At the après match post-mortem and during

the journey home the mood of the team was

definitely up-beat with the general consensus

being that the experience was invaluable, that

there is huge learning in playing for points

away from home with sufficient interest and

enthusiasm to prepare and practice hard for

the forthcoming league matches. Watch this

space!”