More success for Rushworth and Williams in Calderdale tennis finals

The results had a familiar look to them, with Jimmy Sutcliffe and Chris Williams winning the Men’s doubles for the fourth year in a row, this time beating the Oakfield pairing of Steve Yates and Paul Bloomfield, who had been successful in the Over 40s final three weeks earlier. The score was 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Chris Williams also won the Mixed doubles with Rastrick’s Helen Brown for a seventh successive year. They defeated Andrew Mitchell and Angela Rezki from Todmorden 6-1, 6-3.

Ann Rushworth won the Ladies’ doubles for a fifth occasion, this time with Janet West as they beat Debbie McCormick and Suzanne Oulton from Todmorden 6-4, 6-4.

The Over 40s finals at Mirfield had been interrupted by rain and were completed over the course of the next week. Ann Rushworth had looked all set to win her sixth over 40s singles when she took the first set against her Wellholme clubmate Janet West, a fall in the slippery conditions seeming to unnerve her opponent, but West recovered to take the remaining sets for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory.

The Men’s singles final was won by Chris Williams, in another event played over several days, as he beat Phil Eastwood 6-2, 6-2.

The Over 40s Mixed doubles title went to Andrew Mitchell and Suzanne Oulton, who beat their fellow Todmorden clubmates Phill Morton and Debbie McCormick 6-1, 6-2.

In the Handicap finals, James Hodgson and Alasdair Whiteley, already the Open winners, defied their -40 handicap to beat Ben Hodgson and Ed Ruddiman 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the Men’s doubles.

Ann Rushworth and Janet West overcame having to give away two points every game against Abbie Young and Becky Devereux 6-4, 6-3 to win the Ladies doubles handicap. That meant Rushworth completed a clean sweep of all four of the Ladies’ doubles titles, having also taken the Open final with Linda Kenworthy, the Over 40s title with Helen Brown, and the already mentioned Over 50s.

Abbie Young gained compensation for her earlier defeat when teaming up with fellow Cragg Vale member Arren Khan to take the Mixed doubles handicap final 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 against the Elland pairing of Darryl Rathmell and Sarah Whipp.