THERE were some exciting rallies on show as Wickham Bishops Tennis Club staged their annual Autumn Cup.

The competition, which was contested by 16 members in perfect conditions, was a two-stage event.

The first part followed an American tournament format, with players drawn with different partners over eight round-robin rounds.

The format of winning points against the clock during 12-minute segments of intense play produced some excellent rallies, from all participants.

Keeping rallies to a minimum with attacking strokes seemed the best formula for success.

In the ladies, Zoe Cannon and Lisa De Rosa gained the upper hand over rivals in the early exchanges by employing this tactic.

However, such a game is open to unforced errors and with a more circumspect approach focusing on astute returns, Elaine Johnson found herself jostling for the lead position at the halfway stage.

Jane Little and Sarah Skinner were just behind the other three looking for a top-four slot and a semi-final spot in the knockout phase.

The men's places were as keenly contested, with an energetic yet disciplined Jon Gustard forging a path at the front.

He was closely followed by a consistent Clive Allenby employing cunning and a competitive mentality to maximum advantage.

Meanwhile, Greg Deery’s volleying prowess saw him emerge from the pack with a succession of smartly-taken interceptions gaining valuable points.

The three leaders were closely followed by Stephen Sparkes and Neil Salmon, their less consistent play in the initial rounds holding them back from the top positions.

As the afternoon wore on, the heat and time on court took its toll on the older and less experienced match-play members. This, combined with some players finding consistency that had previously been absent. meant more points were being won in each round, making an inevitable difference to the Stage One outcome.

At the end of eight rounds, Cannon had consolidated her pole position after amassing 120 points to lead the ladies into the semi-finals.

She was joined by De Rosa (113 points), Johnson (110 points) and Skinner (101 points) just holding off Little (99 points) for a prized last-four place.

In the men, Gustard maintained his earlier form and finished with 127 points leading the way by some distance ahead of Allenby (115 points), Sparkes (105 points) following a strong second-half performance and Deery (104 points) leaving Salmon (99 points) ruing a number of missed opportunities on the day.

The top eight competitors were then paired together for the second-stage knockout portion of the event, based on tie-break rules.

The continuing high level of play seen throughout the afternoon was maintained as Sparkes and De Rosa emerged victorious.

They won their two matches in fine style to ensure two new names were engraved on the Autumn Cup.

Results: semi-finals – Stephen Sparkes/Lisa De Rosa beat Jon Gustard/Sarah Skinner 12-8; Clive Allenby/Elaine Johnson beat Greg Deery/Zoe Cannon 12-8.

Final – Stephen Sparkes/Lis De Rosa beat Clive Allenby/Elaine Johnson 20-17.