TENNIS players turned out in numbers for the Peter Cox Fun Handicap Tennis Tournament at Dorchester Tennis and Squash Club (DTSC).

Twenty-four players of all abilities participated in this fun event, using a handicap scoring system. This tournament was named after a former member of the club who always emphasised the fun side of tennis and it is held in his memory, once or twice a year.

This Peter Cox tournament was the first fully-mixed version.

Participants were drawn at random and played three mixed doubles matches with different partners and opponents, the object trying to be to win as many games as possible as an individual.

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The top-four scoring women and men then progress to the semi-finals.

After a very competitive day and a delicious pot-luck lunch, provided by all the entrants, the eventual winners were Sarah Skidmore and Grahame Bennett.

They started slowly in the final, with Rebecca Hambleton and Chris Porter taking a 2-0 lead, but Skidmore and Bennett realised they were in for a tough match, gritted their teeth and upped their game and closed it out, winning 6-4.  

The trophy and prizes were presented by club and tennis chairman Al Clark who thanked everyone for coming along and taking part.

He said: “I’m delighted to see so many competitors and spectators here at the club.

“After weeks of rain and a terrible weather forecast we were lucky that it stayed dry all day.

“It’s such a great club and with all the recent improvements we’ve made to the clubhouse by going greener with our cavity wall insulation and our solar panels and associated battery storage and our new kitchen, we’ve not only made our club more sustainable, but we’ve also made it a better social space.

“We’ve also changed the tennis court lights to LED, so our tennis lights are brighter and of course also much greener.

“It is a thriving club and I’m delighted to see so many of you here making full use of the facilities.” The winners then received the coveted Peter Cox trophy, an engraved glass and an Easter egg.


Results: Semi-final 1: Sarah Skidmore & Grahame Bennett beat Marinella Aionesei & Stephen Hockaday 6-1; Semi-final 2: Rebecca Hambleton & Chris Porter beat Mike Williams & Jia Newell 6-4;
Peter Cox final: Sarah Skidmore & Grahame Bennett beat Rebecca Hambleton & Chris Porter 6-4.