PERFECT ENDING: City and Suburban Tennis League Dale Cup winners Basford A comprised (left to right) Jon Copnell, Mike Armstrong, Paul Armstrong and Dave Edgerton.
TENNIS by Jackie Thorley
PERFECT ENDING: City and Suburban Tennis League Dale Cup winners Basford A comprised (left to right) Jon Copnell, Mike Armstrong, Paul Armstrong and Dave Edgerton.
BASFORD delivered victory in the City and Suburban Dale Cup final to seal a league and cup double. The men's A team collected their second title of the season when they defeated Borough A at Stone Tennis Club in the handicap Dale tournament. With both sides playing off scratch, the Division Two champions got off to an explosive start as brothers Mike and Paul Armstrong notched up a 6-3, 6-3 win against Derek Turner and Dave Latham, while Basford team-mates Jon Copnell and Dave Edgerton beat Neville Howse and Gareth Dunn 6-1, 7-6. Borough stole back a rubber after the changeover when Howse and Dunn toppled the Armstrong partnership 6-4, 6-2, but Copnell and Edgerton clinched a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Turner and Latham to bag a 3-1 triumph for Basford. Coppell said: "As we had a 2-0 lead at the change, we only needed one set in the remaining matches to win, which gave us confidence. "It has been a great season for us, having won promotion to Division One as well as winning the cup."
Despite missing out on cup glory, the Borough side finished runners-up to Basford in the league and will join them in the fast lane next year.
A SIX-WEEK tennis course at a Newcastle school proved such a hit with a group of seven-year-olds, they have persuaded their teacher to secure funding to extend the project. The children at Langdale Infants School in Clayton became hooked on the sport when Basford coach Mike Armstrong set up an afterschool club. Their enthusiasm rubbed off on several classmates who asked to join in. But with only 16 places available, the only answer was to increase the number of coaching sessions on offer. School physical education co-ordinator Tricia Hall said: "Mike is an outstanding coach and the skills the children achieved over such a short time were astonishing. "They loved the sessions so much we found we had more than 30 children wanting to take part, but not enough places for them. "They have loads of fun, but at the same time benefit from the exercise as well as Improving their hand-eye coordination and team skills." The project was initially set-up for Year Two pupils, with cash from the government-backed School Sport Partnership Programme. The school has now gained extra funding to provide coaching until the end of next summer for the remaining Year Two pupils and also for youngsters in Year One and Reception.
Sentinel 9th October 2007
Courtesy of The Sentinel News & Media